New cream for knee arthritis

People with the wear-and-tear kind of arthritis of the knee may benefit from a cream containing a blend of cetylated fatty acids, according to recent research. There is pain relief and improved functional performance as early as half an hour after the cream is applied to the affected joint. Researchers from the University of Connecticut in USA, conducted a study involving 40 patients with osteoarthritis of one or both the knees who were randomly assigned to treatment with either Celadrin cream (made by Imagenetix, Inc., of San Diego, California), or an inactive placebo cream. Each patient was assessed for knee range of motion, timed "up-and-go" from a chair, stair climbing, and other tests before the study began, at 30 minutes after the first application of the cream, and after 30 days of twice-daily application. They observed significant improvements among treated patients in the stair-climbing and up-and-go tests at 30 minutes, as well as after 30 days. Supine range of motion had also improved significantly at both these time points in the treated patients. Topical treatment with cetylated fatty acids significantly increased balance, stair climbing ability, ability to rise from a chair, and walking. According to the researchers a unique finding of the study was an immediate effect of this treatment 30 minutes after the cream application. The findings support the use of cetylated fatty acids as part of pain relief treatment in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.