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Painkillers For Knee Pain No Better Than Placebo

The August 2004 issue of the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases reports that common painkillers containing acetaminophen are no more effective at relieving symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee than a sugar pill.

779 patients with knee pain of at least 30 on a 100 point scale during physical activity were observed in the study. The participants were randomly assigned to be given 4 grams per day of acetaminophen (Tylenol) for six weeks or an inactive placebo. The level of improvement the observers were aiming for was a 30% decrease in pain.

52.6% of the acetaminophen group reached this level of relief. 51.9% of the placebo group reached the same level taking the inactive placebo, with an insignificant difference of only .7%.

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