Effects of ostrich oil on knee osteoarthritis symptoms: A randomized double‐blinded placebo‐controlled clinical trial
Aliasghar Ebrahimi Chaharom, Faegheh Ebrahimi Chaharom, Bohloul Habibi Asl, Morteza GhojazadehAbstract
Purpose
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint disease that progressively impairs joint function and mobility, especially in the elderly population. While traditional medicine has long cited the therapeutic properties of ostrich oil, scientific evidence supporting its efficacy in treating OA is limited. This study aims to evaluate the effects of ostrich oil on knee OA symptoms in a controlled clinical setting.
Methods
In a double‐blind randomized clinical trial, we studied the efficacy of adjuvant therapy using ostrich oil to improve knee osteoarthritis symptoms. Ninety patients were randomly allocated to an intervention group and a control group. Both groups received 2 mL of ostrich oil or placebo twice daily per knee for two months. The effectiveness of adjuvant therapy was evaluated by measuring improvements in knee osteoarthritis symptoms. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.
Results
The intervention group showed significantly lower knee joint pain scores compared to the control group for both right (1.33 ± 0.59 vs 2.30 ± 0.92, p = 0.001; baseline: 2.83 ± 0.76 vs 2.85 ± 0.94) and left knees (1.31 ± 0.60 vs 2.22 ± 0.83, p = 0.001; baseline: 2.75 ± 0.84 vs 2.81 ± 0.71). Similarly, knee joint stiffness was significantly reduced in the intervention group compared to the control group for both right (1.56 ± 0.74 vs 1.79 ± 0.78, p = 0.035; baseline: 2.18 ± 0.88 vs 2.21 ± 0.91) and left knees (1.45 ± 0.53 vs 1.70 ± 0.69, p = 0.021; baseline: 2.05 ± 0.79 vs 2.12 ± 0.75). The 6‐m walking time improved in both groups, with no significant difference between groups after two months (10.95 ± 3.28 s vs 12.30 ± 3.13 s, p = 0.76; baseline: 16.10 ± 6.24 s vs 15.45 ± 2.28 s).
Conclusion
Symptoms of osteoarthritis, such as stiffness and pain in both knees, significantly reduced with ostrich oil treatment. However, in some criteria, no significant differences were observed between the treatment and control groups.