Joint injections ineffective for hand OA, review finds
Oral steroids and NSAIDs are the only treatments that seem effective, researchers say.
Most pharmacological treatments for hand osteoarthritis are no better than placebo, according to Danish rheumatologists who say only oral NSAIDs and glucocorticoids have been shown to be effective.
Their review of 65 clinical trials suggests intra-articular hyaluronate, intra-articular glucocorticoids and hydroxychloroquine are ineffective for hand osteoarthritis (OA), while the efficacy of topical NSAIDs “remains uncertain”.
