A new NHS plan urges people with arthritis to lose weight and exercise as the main therapies for their condition.
New NHS guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) says that people who are overweight should be told that their pain can be reduced if they lose weight.
Meanwhile, aerobic exercise such as walking, as well as strength training, can relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.
Starting exercise programs may initially make the pain worse, but this should subside, the guide suggests.
It also gives recommendations about medication use, such as offering nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) but not offering acetaminophen, glucosamine, or strong opioids.
Joint pain may initially worsen when exercise begins, but will ease over time (PA)
Nice said there was a risk of addiction with strong opioids, while new evidence suggests little or no benefit from some drugs when it comes to quality of life and pain levels.
In the guide, doctors are told to diagnose osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, without further investigation in people aged 45 and older who have activity-related joint pain.
Patients also must not have joint-related morning stiffness or morning stiffness lasting no more than 30 minutes to be diagnosed this way.
The draft guideline says that people can be offered personalized exercise programs, with an explanation that “regular and consistent exercise, while it may initially cause discomfort, will be beneficial to your joints.”
Long-term exercise also increases its benefits, the guideline adds.
When it comes to weight loss, people are told that “any amount of weight loss is probably beneficial, but losing 10% of your body weight is probably better than 5%.”
Dr Paul Chrisp, director of the Nice guidelines centre, said: “Osteoarthritis can cause people discomfort and prevent them from carrying out some of their normal daily activities.
“However, there is evidence to show that muscle strengthening and aerobic exercise can have an impact not only in managing the condition, but also in giving people a better quality of life.
“Beginning that journey can be uncomfortable for some people at first, and they need to be supported and given enough information to help them manage their condition over a long period of time.
