TUESDAY, April 20, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- Adding menthol to a topical cream of blended cetylated fatty acids reduces pain and improves mobility in people with osteoarthritis (OA).
So says a study presented April 19 at the Experimental Biology 2004 meeting in Washington, D.C.
The study included 10 people with knee OA, 10 with wrist OA, and eight with elbow OA. Each patient applied the menthol/cetylated fatty acids cream to the affected area twice a day for a week. After that week, they were tested for pain, stiffness, range of motion, balance and movement.
All the patients had significant improvements in physical performance and reduced pain.
This study was conducted by researchers from the University of Connecticut, The College of New Jersey, and Imagenetix Inc., which makes cetylated fatty acids topical cream.
OA is a progressive, degenerative joint disease. Common symptoms include pain, stiffness and reduced range of motion in joints. OA can limit normal daily activities such as walking, getting up from a chair, going up and down stairs and gripping objects.
Common treatments for OA include pain-reducing medications such as acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and cox-2 inhibitors. But some of these drugs cause side effects or don't react well with other medications.
Topical creams containing cetylated fatty acids offer an alternative treatment for OA. This study shows that adding menthol to such creams improves pain relief in people with OA, the study authors concluded.
More information
The Arthritis Foundation has more about osteoarthritis.
