Managing knee pain with simple analgesia: the efficacy, cost and adherence implications

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN87954265

Enrollment

244

Registered

2000-10-23

Start date

1999-09-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2015-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Osteoarthritis of the knee Musculoskeletal Diseases Osteoarthritis of the knee

Interventions

Treatment trial: 1. Continuous use paracetamol (4 g daily) 2. 'As required' paracetamol (up to 4 g daily as needed) Adherence trial (all patients in treatment group 1): 1. Individualised educational

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Male and female patients over 55 years 2. Clinical diagnosis osteoarthritis of the knee 3. Current joint pain score greater than 30 on a 10 mm visual analogue scale

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Serious concomitant illness 2. Other pain-related conditions 3. Abnormal liver function tests 4. History of analgesic abuse or overdose 5. Severe OA awaiting joint replacement 6. Psychological disorders requiring treatment 7. Patients unable to follow instructions/complete questionnaires. 8. Use of over the counter medication containing paracetamol for duration of the study

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Treatment trial: pain in the affected joint measured by 100 mm visual analogue scale Adherence trial: Proportion of patients who adhere to the regimen for continuous paracetamol	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Not provided at time of registration	—

Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026