Breakthrough treatment in osteoarthritis revealed

A medication discovered by Australian scientists is set to help millions of people who suffer from the pain of osteoarthritis, the most common cause of chronic pain in Australia.

Osteoarthritis is caused by thinning of cartilage in joints, resulting in bones rubbing together, creating stiffness, pain, and difficulty in moving.

There is currently no effective medication for it, other thank taking anti-inflammatories or other pain relief, which is why most who suffer from it opt for a hip or knee replacement. This medication might put that decision off the a number of years.

Australian scientists Professor Peter Ghoshand and Dr Jegan Krishnan have found a medication, already being used for 70 years to treat blood clots and urinary tract infections, has the remarkable effect of eliminating osteoarthritis pain, reports The Daily Telegraph. The pair discovered a link between bone marrow lesions and the swelling that causes pain and cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis.

While there are more clinical trials needed, so far the results have been incredibly positive, with 70 per cent seeing significants reductions in pain. One woman describing her pain going from an eight, on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the highest, down to zero, after six injections over three weeks.

The topic was discussed on Sunrise this morning, with a Dr Ginny Mansberg describing the total effect of arthritis on patients. She said it was too early to say if this was going to be a miracle cure, as there was a large amount of placebo effects when it came to pain related trials.

Osteoarthritis Breakthrough: More than 3 million Australians suffer from this condition. https://t.co/n7GtfCt8l8 @Dr_Ginni #sun7 pic.twitter.com/Po8vplit94

— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) September 9, 2017

Phase 2 of the clinical trial is expected to start within months.

Have you experienced pain with arthritis? Have you found anything that helps?