Evidence of efficacy—pooled effect size (ES) and number needed to treat (NNT)
| Intervention | Studies | ESpain (95% CI) | ESfunction (95% CI) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category* | No | Duration | NNT (95% CI) | |||
| *See table 1 for definitions. | ||||||
| No, number of studies; ES, effect size of treatment compared with placebo unless otherwise stated; NNT, number needed to treat to obtain moderate to excellent (>50%) pain relief or symptomatic improvement; –, not available; NS, not significant. | ||||||
| Education | Ib | 1 | 24 months | – | – | – |
| Weight loss | III | 12 | – | – | – | – |
| NSAIDs | Ia | 14 | 1–20 weeks | 0.69 (0.12 to 1.26) | – | 4 (3 to 6) |
| Opioids | Ib | 1 | 4 weeks | 0.78 (0.38 to 1.18) | 0.78 (0.26 to 1.30) | NS |
| Chondroitin sulphate | Ib | 1 | 6 months | – | – | – |
| Avocado soybean unsaponifiable | Ib | 2 | 6–12 months | 0.31 (−0.64 to 1.26) | 0.52 (−0.36 to 1.40) | – |
| Diacerhein | Ib | 1 | 3 years | 0.00 (−0.17 to 0.17) | 0.00 (−0.17 to 0.17) | – |
| Hyaluronic acid | III | 3 | 3–12 months | – | – | – |
| Intra-articular steroid | Ib | 1 | 3 months | – | – | NS |
| Osteotomy | III | 9 | 2–20 years | – | – | – |
| THR | III | 118 | 2–20 years | – | – | – |