(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Surgery is usually the solution of choice for osteoarthritis patients with severe knee pain. Surgery is not an option, however, when patients are too young, too old, or too fragile.

Now, a new study reveals botulinum toxin type A, or Botox, injections offer relief from severe knee pain for osteoarthritis patients.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis tested the treatment on 37 men and women who had moderate to severe knee pain caused by osteoarthritis. The patients were either given an injection of Botox or a saline injection. Investigators took pain assessments at the beginning and one month after the treatments. More measurements will be taken at three months and six months. Participants also reported a walking pain score, day pain severity, and night pain severity.

So far, the one-month follow up has been completed. Researchers report a significant decrease in pain and improvement in physical function for those with severe pain who received the Botox injection. Those in severe pain who received the saline reported minimal improvement. However, study authors found those in the moderate pain group saw no changes with the Botox or the saline.

"If this novel approach to local treatment for refractory joint pain continues to prove beneficial, it offers a very welcome solution for fragile patients," reports Maren Mahowald, M.D., the Rheumatology Section Chief at Minneapolis VA Medical Center and a professor at the University of Minnesota. "Local joint treatment with injection could replace oral medications that carry the risk of systemic side effects and may negate or delay the need for joint surgery."

The study will wrap up next fall. Researchers released the early results because of the significant decrease in pain in those with severe osteoarthritis, but they say much more research still needs to be done.

SOURCE: American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Washington, D.C., Nov. 8-15, 2006