Osteoarthritis Treatment Guidelines from Six Professional Societies: Similarities and Differences

Despite the high prevalence and burden of osteoarthritis (OA) worldwide, management of OA continues to primarily focus on symptom management due to the lack of approved pharmacologic agents that halt disease progression. Recent recommendations from 6 professional societies support the importance of education, self-management approaches, weight loss, and physical modalities in managing OA. These recent guidelines also highlight the paucity of effective and safe treatment options, with recommendations against ineffective therapies outnumbering those for effective ones. NSAIDs, oral and topical, remain the primary recommended pharmacologic management option for OA.