Indication: Knee osteoarthritis (OA)


Source: Phytother Res, April 2008;22(4): 518-23.

Research: Researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on 156 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee (OA). Patients were administered 100 mg Pycnogenol or placebo daily for 3 months. Symptoms were evaluated by WOMAC index scores and mobility by recording their walking performance on a treadmill. Patients were permitted to continue taking their choice of pain medication provided they recorded every tablet in a diary for later evaluation. To describe and rate OA symptoms (joint pain, stiffness and physical function), WOMAC questionnaires were evaluated by the investigator and patient at the start and after 3 months of treatment. Patients were trained on a treadmill test and performance evaluation was re­corded on total distance that could be covered without pain. Measuring foot volume by the water-displacement method was used to evaluate ankle/ foot edema in a randomly selected subgroup of subjects within the two treatment groups.

Results: After 3 months, scores for pain dropped significantly for the Pycnogenol treatment group but no significant effects were recorded for the placebo group. Scores for stiffness were reduced by 53%. The scores for physical function were reduced by 57% in the Pycnogenol group. The global WOMAC score decreased following Pycnogenol treatment and very little in the placebo group, from 56% vs. almost 10% for Pycnogenol and placebo, respectively. Results of exercise tests on the treadmill demonstrated an increased performance after 3 months of Pycnogenol treatment. At the start of the study, patients could only walk a mean of 74 yards without feeling pain but after 3 months they could walk 216 yards, compared to the placebo group, which noted 71 yards at the beginning of the study and 96 yards at the end.