A fresh study suggests that weight loss medications like Ozempic may aid with knee pain. Here’s why there might be a link

The drug semaglutide, commonly known by the brand names Ozempic or Wegovy, was originally developed to aid people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels.

However, scientists have found that it can also aid with other health problems. Clinical trials have shown that semaglutide may be effective weight lossand hundreds of thousands of people around the world exploit it for this purpose.

Evidence has also shown that the drug can aid with treatment heart failure AND chronic kidney disease in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Now a study published in the journal New England Journal of Medicine suggested that semaglutide may improve knee pain in people with obesity and osteoarthritis. So what did this study show, and how can semaglutide pain and osteoarthritis be linked?

Osteoarthritis and obesity

Osteoarthritis is a common joint disease affecting 2.1 million Australians. Most people with osteoarthritis experience pain and have difficulty performing everyday activities such as walking. The knee is there most commonly affected joint by osteoarthritis.

Being overweight or obese is main risk factor for osteoarthritis of the knee joint. The relationship between these two conditions is complex. It involves a combination of increased knee load, metabolic factors such as high cholesterol and blood sugar levels and inflammation.

For example, elevated blood sugar levels augment the production of inflammatory molecules in the body, which can damage the cartilage in the knee and lead to development of osteoarthritis.

Weight loss is strongly recommended to reduce pain associated with knee osteoarthritis in overweight or obese people. International AND Australian guidelines They suggest that losing just 5% of your body weight may be helpful.

However, for many people, losing weight through diet and exercise alone can be arduous. One study from the UK found that people with obesity were less than one in ten likely to lose 5% or more of their body weight each year.

Semaglutide has recently entered the market as a potential alternative route to weight loss. It comes from a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists and works by increasing the feeling of fullness.

Semaglutide for osteoarthritis?

Justification for the above-mentioned recent research was that although we know that weight loss improves the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis, the effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists have not yet been studied. So researchers set out to understand what effect semaglutide might have on knee osteoarthritis pain, as well as the effect on body weight.

They randomly assigned 407 people with obesity and moderate osteoarthritis to one of two groups. One group received semaglutide once a week, while the other group received a placebo. Both groups were treated for 68 weeks and received advice on diet and physical activity. At the end of the treatment phase, researchers measured changes in knee pain, knee function, and body weight.

As expected, people taking semaglutide lost more weight than those in the placebo group. People taking semaglutide lost an average of about 13% of their body weight, while those taking a placebo lost an average of about 3%. More than 70% of people in the semaglutide group lost at least 10% of their body weight compared with just over 9% of people in the placebo group.

The study found that semaglutide reduced knee pain significantly more than placebo. Participants who took semaglutide reported an additional 14-point reduction in pain on a scale of 0–100 compared to the placebo group.

This is much greater than the reduction in pain for another patient recent research among people with obesity and knee osteoarthritis. This study examined the effects of a diet and exercise program compared to an attention control (in which participants receive information about nutrition and physical activity). The results showed only a 3-point difference between the intervention group and the control group on the same scale.

The degree of pain relief reported in the semaglutide trial is also greater than that reported for commonly used painkillers such as anti-inflammatory agents, opioids AND antidepressants.

Semaglutide also improved knee function compared to placebo. For example, people who took semaglutide could walk about 42 meters further in a six-minute walk test than people taking a placebo.

How can semaglutide reduce knee pain?

It is not entirely clear how semaglutide helps treat knee pain caused by osteoarthritis. One explanation may be that when a person loses weight, there is less stress on the joints, which reduces pain.

However, recent research also suggests that semaglutide and other GLP-1 receptor agonists may have these effects anti-inflammatory properties and can even protect against cartilage wear and tear.

Although the results of this fresh study are promising, it is too early to consider semaglutide a “miracle drug” for knee osteoarthritis. And since this study was funded by the pharmaceutical company that produces semaglutide, it will be vital to conduct independent studies in the future to confirm the results or not.

The study also used strict criteria, excluding certain groups, such as people taking opioids for knee pain. One in seven Australians see their GP for knee osteoarthritis they were prescribed opioids. The majority of study participants were white (61%) and female (82%). This means the study may not fully represent the average person suffering from knee osteoarthritis and obesity.

It should also be taken into account that semaglutide may cause a number of side effects, including gastrointestinal symptoms and fatigue.

There is some concern that semaglutide may reduce muscle mass AND bone densitythough we’re still learning more about it.

Moreover, access to it may be arduous.

I have osteoarthritis of the knee joint, what should I do?

Osteoarthritis is a disease caused by many factors and it is vital to treat it multi-faceted approach manage it. Weight loss is an vital element for people who are overweight or obese, but so are other aspects of self-control. This may include physical activity, pacing strategies, and other positive lifestyle changes such as improved sleep, well eating, and so on.