Table 2.
Conventional and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments Used Among Participants with Radiographically Confirmed Knee Osteoarthritis, by Gender
| Categorya |
Women (n=1,563) (%) |
Men (n=1,116) (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Alternative medical systems | 1.3 | 1.0 |
| Acupuncture | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| Acupressure | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| Chelation therapy | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Folk medicine | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Homeopathy | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Ayurveda/biofeedback/energy healing/hypnosis/naturopathy | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Mind-body interventions | 14.1 | 5.7 |
| Yoga/Tai Chi/Chi Gong/Pilates | 7.7 | 3.0 |
| Relaxation therapy, meditation, deep breathing, or visualization | 4.5 | 2.1 |
| Spiritual activities | 5.4 | 1.8 |
| Manipulation and body-based methods | 6.5 | 3.5 |
| Chiropractic | 5.3 | 3.0 |
| Massage | 2.5 | 0.8 |
| Energy therapies (copper bracelets or magnets) | 4.5 | 2.2 |
| Biologically based therapies: topical agent | 16.1 | 9.5 |
| Rubs, lotions, liniments, creams, or oils (tiger balm/horse liniment) | 15.9 | 9.2 |
| Capsaicin | 1.7 | 1.6 |
| Biologically based therapies: diet | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Biologically based therapies: supplements | 32.5 | 31.2 |
| Herbs | 2.1 | 1.0 |
| Vitamins/minerals (nearly every day) | 7.6 | 4.5 |
| Glucosamine (nearly every day) | 27.2 | 28.2 |
| Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| S-adenosylmethionine (SAME) | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Chondroitin (nearly every day) | 24.8 | 25.7 |
| Conventional treatments | ||
| Acetaminophen | 13.1 | 8.7 |
| Over-the-counter NSAIDsb | 21.8 | 20.0 |
| Prescription NSAIDsb | 8.5 | 6.4 |
| COX-2 inhibitors | 10.5 | 5.7 |
| Opioids | 3.6 | 1.6 |
| Knee injection | 3.3 | 4.3 |
| Corticosteroid | 0.8 | 1.4 |
| Hyaluronic acid | 2.6 | 3.0 |
| Doxycycline | 0.3 | 0.4 |
a
As defined by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
b
NSAIDs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.