A RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE BLIND, PLACEBO CONTROLLED STUDY FOR EVALUATING EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF NUTRICHARGE BJ FOR KNEE JOINT PAIN IN HEALTHY ELDERLY POPULATION

The elderly patients suffering from knee related problems should know the importance of usage of nutrient supplements and also selfcare activities which are inexpensive and at the same time are useful in overcoming the problems, especially pain. The study was aimed for determining the efficacy and safety of one such supplement namely Nutricharge BJ for regaining the knee joint health in the elderly population. The study was designed as a single centre, randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety. The study subjects had undergone physical findings on examination of the knee, Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire-2 (SF-MPQ-2), Pain Visual Analog Scale, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and pain scale and self-assessment questionnaire both before and after a treatment period for assessing the safety and efficacy of Nutricharge BJ. It was observed that a reduction of 57.5% in SF-MPQ2 pain scores occurred in the Nutricharge BJ Group and was highly statistically significant. TheWOMAC scores in the Nutricharge BJ group, when compared to placebo Group were found to be 73.7%. It was found that the difference in reduction in WOMAC pain scores between the two groups over a period of the 90-days was highly significant (P<0.0001).The Pain Scale function scores before and after the period of follow-up showed significant reduction in pain (87.3%) between the two groups.In pain visual analogue scale and patient assessment questionnaire, a reduction of 53.6% and 54.1% was observed respectively in Nutricharge BJ group and was significant. The Nutricharge BJ supplement significantly aids in improving the physical function, activity and above all the quality of life in the elderly population. It was observed that there was no adverse drug reactions were reported during the study period and thus showing the product-Nutricharge BJ is safe for human consumption. Keywords:Knee Joint, WOMAC™, Nutrition Supplement, BUA