Have you or someone you know ever experienced hand pain that just won’t go away?
A sort of pain that makes doing everyday things – like buttoning a shirt, opening a jar, or even shaking hands – a struggle?
This kind of hand pain might be more than a minor annoyance; it might be due to a condition known as hand osteoarthritis (OA).
With new research surfacing from Monash University and Alfred Health, there may be hope on the horizon in the form of an affordable and readily available drug.
What’s Going On with Our Hands: A Glimpse into Osteoarthritis
In essence, osteoarthritis is a condition that affects our joints, which are the “hinges” where our bones meet and allow movement.
It tends to cause pain and makes moving the joints difficult. Hand OA specifically targets the small joints of our hands, making those simple, everyday tasks a challenge.
Around half of all women and a quarter of all men will face this troublesome experience by the age of 85. It’s not just an issue for the elderly; the pain and stiffness can start much earlier and affect anyone.
The challenge here has been that, up until now, doctors and scientists didn’t really have a surefire way to help manage the pain that comes with hand OA. That’s what makes this new research so exciting and significant!
Methotrexate: A Familiar Drug with a New Use
Enter Methotrexate – a drug that’s not new but might have a fresh purpose.
This drug has been a helpful friend in the medical world since the 1980s, typically used for treating certain types of arthritis that cause swelling and pain in the joints, like rheumatoid arthritis.
In this recent study, led by Professor Flavia Cicuttini, a leader in joint research, the team explored if methotrexate could help people struggling with hand OA.
Over six months, they gave a group of participants a 20mg dose of methotrexate every week and monitored the results.
The findings were hopeful: the people taking methotrexate generally experienced less pain and stiffness in their hands.
In comparison to another group who took a placebo (a substance with no therapeutic effect), those on methotrexate experienced double the improvement in pain levels.
And, even more, excitingly, the relief wasn’t just temporary – the pain kept reducing over the entire six-month period of the study.
Treading Ahead: What Comes Next for OA Treatment
Now, while these results are surely promising, Professor Cicuttini and her team are far from done. They’ve got more questions and are ready for more research.
They want to understand how long methotrexate can provide relief, how it should be used for optimal benefit, and if it can help reduce the damage OA can do to the joints over time.
Especially for women, who often experience hand OA and its devastating pain around the time of menopause, understanding and validating a treatment that can offer relief is crucial.
The path ahead is still laden with research, trials, and study, but it’s a path that looks a little brighter, a little more hopeful, for those dealing with the daily challenges of hand OA.
In the grand scope of things, the story of methotrexate and its potential new use is a story of science, persistence, and a reminder that sometimes help comes from the most unexpected of places.
For those dealing with hand OA, this research is more than data and results – it’s a signal of hope, a beacon that pain management might just become a more attainable reality in the not-too-distant future.
If you care about health, please read studies about why vitamin K is so important for older people, and this snack food may harm your heart rhythm.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about vitamin that may protect you from type 2 diabetes, and results showing this common chemical in food may harm your blood pressure.
The research findings can be found in The Lancet.
Follow us on Twitter for more articles about this topic.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
