Does glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, or their combination reduce pain in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee?
Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate alone or in combination are not effective for pain reduction in the overall population with knee osteoarthritis, though exploratory analyses suggest potential benefit in those with moderate-to-severe pain.
Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate alone or in combination did not reduce pain effectively in the overall group of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Exploratory analyses suggest that the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate may be effective in the subgroup of patients with moderate-to-severe knee pain. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00032890.).
Clegg et al. (2006) studied this question.