A Bennett, K Crossley, P Brukner and R Hinman
The aim of this study was to investigate whether patient characteristics and/or radiographic disease patterns predict sympomatic response to treatment with glucosamine in osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. The design was an exploratory, prospective correlational study in which 39 participants with chronic knee pain were investigated. All 39 participants took 1.5g/day of Glucosamine Sulphate for 12 weeks. Outcome measures were VAS and global change scores (GCS). Regression modelling evaluated the relationship between treatment outcome and age, BMI, and a number of other predictive factors. The results showed that Glucosamine significantly improved pain and function at 12 weeks however none of the variables predicted the improvement. The authors concluded that although Glucosamine significantly improved symptoms, most of the variance in outcome at 12 weeks was unexplained by the predictors evaluated.
British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2007, 41, 415-419