Research makes advances to treat osteoarthritis pain

For the 8.8 million people in the UK with osteoarthritis, research into new treatments to tackle osteoarthritis pain has the potential to dramatically improve quality of life. That’s why supporting innovative research in this area is one of our priorities, accounting for 25% of our research funding. We asked Dr Fiona Watt, consultant rheumatologist and senior clinical research fellow at our Centre for Osteoarthritis Pathogenesis at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology in Oxford, to share some of the latest developments: “Most of the patients who walk through the door to my clinic want to know how I can help them with their pain. It’s undoubtedly the biggest issue facing people with osteoarthritis and a priority for us as researchers. I want to be able to treat people with osteoarthritis with drugs to reduce pain, but I also want to be able to prevent or slow down the process which drives the pain. Research over the last decade has shown us osteoarthritis isn't just caused by the joint surface wearing out.I want to be able to treat people with osteoarthritis with drugs to reduce pain, but I also want to be able to prevent or slow down the process which drives the pain. There are also processes we can measure in the joints which actively drive the progression of the disease which should be drug-treatable, perhaps by a tablet or an injection into the joint. To offer the best outcomes, just like with heart disease, we need to understand how we can identify th...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news