A recent meeting of the Radiological Society of North America caused something of a global stir recently when a presentation to the group revealed research that found taking anti-inflammatory pain relievers like ibuprofen to ease osteoarthritis pain may worsen inflammation in the knee joint over time. If you use ibuprofen to help manage your knee pain, you might reasonably be wondering whether you should stop. Alex Dodds shares his opinion.
The first thing to note here is that by the time most patients in Gloucestershire reach the stage of needing to see a specialist knee consultant, they’re some way past the point of being able to manage their osteoarthritis with over-the-counter painkillers.
It’s also true that we already know long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen can affect kidney function and cause stomach ulcers in older patients, which is why GPs tend not to recommend such painkillers for over-70s.
But if you’re under 70 and still able to manage your knee pain day-to-day, how should you react to this study?
Mobility vs medication
The benefit of painkillers like ibuprofen isn’t just their ability to alleviate pain; it’s the effect of that pain relief on a patient’s mobility. Taking simple analgesia can be useful in enabling you to stay mobile. The more mobile you are the better your overall health and the better the health of your knee joint. The less able you are to get up and walk around the greater the risk of deterioration of the joint and the faster you may need a knee replacement.
Being immobile also risks reducing the muscle mass around the knee which can be extremely difficult to build back even after a knee replacement.
So simple analgesia still has an important role to play, although it may be prudent to consider alternative painkillers for long term use.
To explore the best pain relief options for early-stage arthritis, talk to your GP.
To explore treatments for more advanced osteoarthritis, talk to me on 01242 246549 or book an appointment now.