Topical Diclofenac for Osteoarthritis Pain Management

Efficacy and Safety

• Topical NSAIDs, including diclofenac, have demonstrated significant efficacy for osteoarthritis pain relief compared to placebo, with a systematic review showing topical diclofenac to be superior to placebo and equivalent to oral diclofenac for reducing knee osteoarthritis pain 1
• Topical NSAIDs have markedly fewer gastrointestinal adverse events compared to oral NSAIDs 1

Place in Therapy

• For knee and hand osteoarthritis, consider paracetamol and/or topical NSAIDs before oral NSAIDs, COX-2 inhibitors, or opioids, as recommended by the British Medical Journal 2
• Topical diclofenac is particularly beneficial for patients unable or unwilling to take oral NSAIDs, as stated by the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 4

Combination Therapy

• Topical diclofenac can be used as part of a multimodal approach alongside non-pharmacological interventions such as exercise and weight loss, as suggested by the British Medical Journal 2