Efficacy of methylsulfonylmethane supplementation on osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized controlled study

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the two study groups

Characteristic	MSM (N = 25)	Placebo (N = 25)	p value*
Kellgren and Lawrence Grade
Grade 1	4	8
Grade 2	7	6
Grade 3	4	6
Grade 4	10	5	0.324
Male gender	4	13	0.007*
Age	67.0 ± 9.8	71.0 ± 8.3	0.203
Body mass index (BMI)	31.4 ± 5.4	28.6 ± 3.09	0.037*
WOMAC (0-100 mm scale)
Pain subscale	42.4 ± 25.7	45.9 ± 27.4	0.641
Stiffness subscale	46.7 ± 24.8	43.0 ± 35.6	0.671
Function subscale	39.9 ± 21.2	47.4 ± 21.9	0.221
Aggregated total score	40.9 ± 20.3	47.0 ± 22.2	0.100
ALF (seconds)
8 meter walk time	9.4 ± 3.9	8.2 ± 2.1	0.172
Stand-sit-stand transfer time	10.4 ± 5.3	8.4 ± 2.4	0.106
Stair ascent and descent time	23.9 ± 15.1	16.5 ± 5.8	0.029*
ALF score	43.6 ± 23.2	33.1 ± 9.6	0.043*
SF-36 (0-100 scale)
SF-36 score results	54.1 ± 18.9	58.0 ± 17.2	0.446
Visual-analogue-scale for pain	3.78 ± 3.04	4.60 ± 2.74	0.320
Knee Society Knee Score	60.04 ± 15.6	59.5 ± 17.1	0.911
Knee Society Function Score	60.4 ± 17.2	58.9 ± 13.1	0.734

Values are presented as mean ± SD.
* The significance threshold was set at p ≤ 0.05.
MSM = methylsulfonylmethane; WOMAC = Western Ontario and McMaster Osteoarthritis Index; ALF = aggregated locomotor function; SF-36 = 36-item short-form health survey.
There were significant differences between the groups at baseline in gender, BMI and ALF score. Results of the study were adjusted to account for these differences.

ISSN: 2662-7671