In a study from the University of Michigan, scientists found popping a pill may bring short-term relief for arthritis-related joint pain, but many older adults may not realize that what they swallow could raise their risk of other health problems, or that other non-drug options could help them.
They suggest that people over 50 should talk to their health care providers about what they’re taking and get advice about potential medication risks and non-medication options that could also relieve their aches and improve their movement.
The results showed that 70% of people over 50 experience joint pain at least occasionally, and 60% have been told they have some form of arthritis.
Nearly half of those with arthritis symptoms said they have pain every day (45%).
About half of those with joint pain say the pain limits their usual activities at least somewhat (49%), while over a third (36%) say it interferes with their day-to-day life.
The poll is based at the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation and supported by AARP and Michigan Medicine, U-M’s academic medical center.
The team found the vast majority (80%) of those with joint pain said they had at least some confidence they could manage it on their own.
The poll shows many do so with non-prescription remedies: 66% of those with joint pain take over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen.
More than a quarter (26%) say they take supplements, (such as glucosamine or chondroitin) while 11% have turned to cannabidiol (CBD, derived from marijuana) and 9% use marijuana.
But a sizable minority have turned to prescription-based treatments including prescription-only non-opioid pain relievers (18%), steroid joint injections (19%), oral steroids (14%), opioids (14%), and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (4%).
The team says there are sizable risks associated with many of these treatment options, especially when taken long-term or in combination with other drugs.
Yet 60% of those taking two or more substances for their joint pain said their health care provider hadn’t talked with them about risks, or they couldn’t recall if they had.
And 26% of those taking oral steroids hadn’t talked with a provider about the special risks these drugs bring.
The team notes that the American College of Rheumatology’s latest guidelines for treating osteoarthritis – the most common form of arthritis – and the more-rare rheumatoid arthritis both emphasizes an evidence-based approach to joint pain for clinicians and patients to follow.
If you care about pain, please read studies about why people with red hair respond differently to pain than others, and what you need to know about chest pain.
For more information about pain, please see recent studies about how to manage your back pain, and results showing medical cannabis may help reduce arthritis pain, and back pain.
The study was conducted by Beth Wallace et al from the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging.
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