There is no cure for osteoarthritis, but there are treatments that can help control the pain and discomfort it causes, as well as help you move more freely.

Key points about treating osteoarthritis

• You'll probably need a combination of treatments to control your symptoms, rather than just one treatment.

• What works for you may be different from what works for someone else. You will need to work with your GP to find the best combinations of treatments that suit you and your lifestyle.

• Exercising regularly may reduce your pain and help you stay active. If you are overweight, losing weight may also help.

• Taking paracetamol may help control your pain. Your doctor might also recommend using a cream or gel that contains a painkiller called a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).

• If you need more pain relief, your doctor may recommend taking an NSAID as a tablet. These drugs work well to control pain in the short term, but they can cause side effects.

• Other treatments may provide pain relief as well, including taping or bracing, and injections into your joint,

• If other treatments haven't helped, surgery to replace a knee or hip usually works well, and the benefits last for at least 10 years. Other joints with arthritis can sometimes be replaced too, but we haven't looked at the research on replacing them.

Treatments for osteoarthritis

There are lots of treatments for osteoarthritis. Most research has looked at osteoarthritis of the knee, or of the hip. So, we can't say for sure how well these treatments work if you have osteoarthritis elsewhere in your body, such as in your hands. But you may still find the information useful.

For help in deciding which treatment is best for you, see How to make the best decisions about treatment.

We've separated the information into treatments without surgery and surgical treatments.

• Treatments without surgery: These treatments include exercise and physiotherapy, painkillers, creams and gels, strapping, and injections.

• Surgical treatments: These include hip and knee replacement, a knee operation called osteotomy, and hip resurfacing.