A single injection of trans-capsaicin is sufficient to relieve knee pain for 24 weeks in osteoarthritis patients.
Pain management in knee osteoarthritis is a big challenge for patients as well as therapists. Trans-capsaicin, a high purity synthetic capsaicin has demonstrated a significant improvement in osteoarthritis-associated pain as reported by TRIUMPH study 1 published in 'Arthritis and Rheumatology'. Capsaicin was utilized for its long-term analgesic effect to address the pain issues in knee osteoarthritis. The highly purified injectable form of trans-capsaicin in 1 mg dosage provided great relief from knee pain at 12 weeks with a sustained effect till week 24 compared to placebo.
One
seventy two patients of age 45-80 years with radiographic evidence of
chronic knee osteoarthritis were enrolled in the study from multiple
sites in US. Trans-capsaicin was administered in two doses-0.5 mg and
1 mg and confirmed by ultrasound or joint fluid aspiration.
Trans-capsaicin 1mg showed a quicker response with improvement in
walking on flat surface, reduced stiffness and improvement in
function compared to placebo.
Trans-capsaicin
injection did not lead to increased occurrence of adverse effects
compared to placebo probably because of very short half life (less
than 4 hours) of the drug.
'A
single intraarticular injection of trans-capsaicin 1.0 mg provides
≥50% reduction in OA knee pain that persists up to 24 weeks',
culminated the study authors.
Arthritis and Rheumatology
[Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Intraarticular Trans-Capsaicin for Pain Associated With Osteoarthritis of the Knee]
Stevens R.M. et al.
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