Nonpharmacological Approaches in Management of Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis-Related Pain

Abstract

Non-pharmacological approaches are highly recommended for osteoarthritis (OA) treatment to reduce pain and improve function and quality of life. Based on international recommendations for the management of OA, we summarize herein the non-pharmacological treatments that may exhibit some analgesic effects in knee and hip OA. Studies on analgesic non-pharmacological approaches in OA include exercise, patient education, orthoses, acupuncture, physical agents and balneotherapy. Even though many of the published studies have methodological issues, it can be concluded that some of these approaches demonstrate analgesic effects with fewer side effects compared with pharmacological treatments. More evidence is available for knee OA than for hip OA for most of the nonpharmacological treatments. In all cases, these approaches should be individualised to each patient and can be combined together as well as combined with pharmacological management.

Keywords: Pain, osteoarthritis, exercise, alternative treatment, education.

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