To compare the efficacy of an herbal ointment to a sham ointment for relieving pain and stiffness associated with osteoarthritis of the hand and knee.
Single-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial conducted in 3 chiropractic medicine practices. Subjects were solicited from patients attending the 3 centers. Selection of subjects with osteoarthritis of the hand or knee was based on the criteria developed by the American College of Rheumatology. Subjects were randomized to an active (n = 17) or a sham (n = 19) group. Subjects applied the herbal ointment to the affected joint(s) for 42 consecutive days and recorded level of pain and stiffness daily on visual analog scales.
Thirty subjects completed the study (15 active and 15 sham). Significant differences in pain (P = 0.003) and stiffness (P = 0.0008) were found between the first 21 days of application and the last 21 days of application for the experimental group but not for the sham group. Gain scores between the experimental and sham groups were significant for pain (P = 0.026) and stiffness (P = 0.042).
An herbal ointment showed significant improvement in pain and stiffness for patients with hand and knee osteoarthritis who applied the ointment to the affected joint(s) for 42 consecutive days.