The management of osteoarthritis: an overview and call to appropriate conservative treatment.
Despite its growing prevalence, osteoarthritis (OA) remains a poorly understood disease, and recent doubts about the safety of several commonly prescribed OA medications have served to highlight deficiencies in the traditional medical approach to management. This article presents a general outline for the management of the patient who has OA in the form of a narrative review considering diagnosis, investigation, and treatment. It provides the clinician with an overview of the available treatments in line with the guidelines of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International and the European League Against Rheumatism.
Hunter
David J
DJ
Division of Research, New England Baptist Hospital, 125 Parker Hill Ave., Boston, MA 02120, USA. djhunter@caregroup.harvard.edu
Lo
Grace H
GH
D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004032:Diet; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D015207:Osteoarthritis, Hip / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy*; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy*; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000534:rehabilitation; D059408:Pain Management; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000700:Analgesics; D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors