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Ibuprofen works wonders for your headaches, joint pain, muscle aches, and menstrual cramps, so it's probably no surprise that it's the second most common over-the-counter (OTC) drug behind paracetamol (Tylenol), according to a 2023 article https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36876700/ in the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. You might get a prescription for ibuprofen if you have rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis to reduce the pain and swelling from these conditions. Ibuprofen might also be used for psoriatic arthritis, arthritis of the spine, and gouty arthritis. Like other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), ibuprofen works by blocking an enzyme that makes prostaglandins that cause...

Researchers show that antibody therapy can be effective against erosive hand osteoarthritis. Using the antibody denosumab leads to bone remodeling and the prevention of erosive joint damage. This is the first evidence that erosive progression can be halted in this disease. While current therapies can alleviate symptoms, they do not address the structural damage in the affected hands. Recent research, however, suggests that people with erosive hand arthritis have other issues as well. Overall, their bones are thinner and they lose bone and cartilage as the condition progresses, even in bones and joints that are not immediately affected by the...

Researchers have identified a drug target that may alleviate joint degeneration associated with osteoarthritis, a debilitating condition that afflicts as many as 30 million people in the United States alone. Pain relievers and lifestyle changes, such as exercise and reduced excess weight, have long been the therapies most commonly used to treat the joint stiffness and pain caused by degenerative disease, but there is a pressing need for therapies that can prevent joint breakdown that occurs in osteoarthritis. It is known that specialized proteins known as sodium channels found in cell membranes produce electrical impulses in "excitable" cells within muscles,...

Researchers found that drinking a 60ml turmeric drink twice a day allowed players to return to their pre-game fitness faster than those who did not. Playing soccer causes muscle damage in players and an inflammatory response—and their rapid recovery is crucial to optimizing their next performance and reducing injury risk. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin—known to have anti-inflammatory properties—and previous studies have found that curcumin supplementation can reduce soreness following muscle-damaging exercise. This process appears to be aided by a reduction in pro-inflammatory proteins in the blood, known as cytokines, which increase in response to a stress, such...

An exploratory analysis of the LoDoCo2 (Low-Dose Colchicine 2) randomized, controlled, double-blind trial found that daily therapy with a low dose of colchicine was associated with lower incidences of both total knee replacement and total hip replacement surgeries. Osteoarthritis is an increasingly common joint disease that can be associated with low-grade inflammation in response to weight-bearing traumatic injury. Previous studies have demonstrated an association between the use of anti-inflammatory therapies and the slowing of osteoarthritis disease progression. Colchicine is effective in many inflammatory and fibrotic conditions, but it is not currently recommended for treatment of osteoarthritis. Its long-term effects have...

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that causes the cartilage in the joints to break down, leading to pain, stiffness, and difficulty moving. It is a common condition that often affects the hands, knees, hips, and spine. Risk factors for developing osteoarthritis include aging, obesity, and a history of joint injuries. Two recent studies have shown that corticosteroid injections, which are commonly used to treat the pain associated with knee osteoarthritis, may actually contribute to the progression of the disease. These findings were recently presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Osteoarthritis is a...

Two studies comparing injections commonly used to relieve the pain of knee osteoarthritis found that corticosteroid injections were associated with the progression of the disease. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting 32.5 million adults in the U.S. Knee osteoarthritis is a chronic, degenerative and progressive condition with an estimated incidence of 800,000 patients each year. More than 10% of patients with knee osteoarthritis seek noninvasive treatment for pain relief through corticosteroid or hyaluronic acid injections. In the first study, MRI was performed on all patients at the time of the injection and two years before and after....

Osteoarthritis is a wear-and-tear disorder marked by bone thickening and cartilage degeneration, an excruciatingly painful disability and a major cause of impaired mobility as people age. But scientists have begun viewing this form of arthritis differently with a deeper understanding of the disorder's causes and an eye toward personalized medicine as a treatment option. Although for decades medical experts have focused on problems such as the pain caused by bone thickening and the disappearance of cartilage, scientists say bone malalignment may play a critical role in osteoarthritis. In a novel clinical study, medical scientists demonstrate how the alignment problem can...

The left image shows a knee joint in a healthy rat. (White indicates cartilage.) The second image from the left shows a joint with grade 2 untreated osteoarthritis. The third image shows a joint with osteoarthritis that has worsened from grade 2 to grade 4 after six weeks of placebo therapy. The right image shows a joint with osteoarthritis that improved from grade 2 to grade 1 (mild) after six weeks of combination therapy with alphaKlotho and sTGFbR2. Credit: Salk Institute ***************************************************************** A combination of two previously studied osteoarthritis drugs works better than either drug alone. People with osteoarthritis, or...

1Translational Research in Pain Program, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States 2Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States 3Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States 4Comparative Pain Research and Education Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States 5Thurston Arthritis Center, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, United States 6Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Translational Pain Research, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States ************************************************************************ Osteoarthritis (OA) associated pain...

A healthy diet and a little exercise appear to be good for arthritis, even on the cellular level. A team led by Washington State University researchers used gallic acid, an antioxidant found in green tea and other plants, and applied a stretching mechanism to human cartilage cells taken from arthritic knees that mimics the stretching that occurs when walking. The combination not only decreased arthritis inflammation markers in the cells but improved the production of desired proteins normally found in healthy cartilage. The laboratory tests suggested gallic acid as the most effective antioxidant for neutralizing the free radicals in the...

Researchers from the University of Toledo have discovered a prospective new treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. The vaccine-based treatment strategy proved successful in preliminary animal studies and the researchers are looking to conduct more clinical trials in the future. The research hinges around a protein called 14-3-3 zeta. Ritu Chakravarti, lead author on the new study, has been studying 14-3-3 zeta for several years due to its suspected role in a number of autoimmune conditions. The initial hypothesis was this protein played a significant role in the onset of rheumatoid arthritis. If it was triggering the disease then knocking out the...

Pain is the most common reason for a GP appointment — not surprisingly, given that up to a half of all Britons live with daily pain. Following the advice of pain specialist and sufferer Dr Helena Miranda on Saturday, today the Mail launches a series of essential expert guides to tackling common problems — back pain, migraine, headache and, here, arthritis — to help stop pain ruling your life. Osteoarthritis need not be the end of the world — or a stellar tennis career. In January, after years of pain, three-time Grand Slam tennis champion Andy Murray had surgery to...

New research has shown for the first time that omega-3 in fish oil could "substantially and significantly" reduce the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis. According to the University of Bristol study, funded by Arthritis Research UK and published in the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, omega-3-rich diets fed to guinea pigs, which naturally develop osteoarthritis, reduced disease by 50 per cent compared to a standard diet. The research is a major step forward in showing that omega-3 fatty acids, either sourced from fish oil or flax oil, may help to slow down the progression of osteoarthritis, or even prevent it occurring,...

I have an appointment with a specialist next Wednesday.What drugs or other treatments are you receiving now?

Body reveals its inflammation 'off switch' 18:00 01 October 2006 NewScientist.com news service Deb MacKenzie Researchers have shed light on how the body switches off its immune response, a key step towards understanding autoimmune diseases and controlling inflammation. When immune cells die, they transform into “sponges” that soak up the molecules responsible for causing inflammation, researchers have discovered. The new information may lead to better drugs to treat inflammatory disorders, such as eczema. Inflammation is characterised by a red, painful swelling around a wound caused by blood fluids, proteins and immune cells flooding into an area of the body in...

Scientists from Queen Mary, University of London have found a new therapeutic target to combat inflammation. The research, published in the journal Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, revealed tiny organelles called primary cilia are important for regulating inflammation. The findings could lead to potential therapies for millions of people who suffer from arthritis. Dr Martin Knight who led the research at Queen Mary's School of Engineering and Materials Science said: "Although primary cilia were discovered more than a century ago, we're only beginning to realise the importance they play in different diseases and conditions, and the potential therapeutic benefits that...

New research has shown for the first time that omega-3 in fish oil could "substantially and significantly" reduce the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis. According to the University of Bristol study, funded by Arthritis Research UK and published in the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, omega-3-rich diets fed to guinea pigs, which naturally develop osteoarthritis, reduced disease by 50 per cent compared to a standard diet. The research is a major step forward in showing that omega-3 fatty acids, either sourced from fish oil or flax oil, may help to slow down the progression of osteoarthritis, or even prevent it occurring,...

New research suggests that glucosamine and chondroitin, two supplements regularly prescribed to help patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis manage joint pain, produce "no clinically relevant effect". The number of prescriptions issued for glucosamine and chondroitin has increased rapidly over the last ten years, with the treatments also available over the counter. However, studies on the efficacy of glucosamine and chondroitin have produced mixed results, prompting Professor Peter Juni and a team of researchers at the University of Bern in Switzerland to launch their own investigation. After looking at ten previously-published trials, Professor Juni and the team concluded that glucosamine...

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