Biofreeze and the Effect on Knee Osteoarthritis

December 1, 2024 updated by: Nick Smith, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Effect of a Menthol Gel (Biofreeze) on the Symptoms Associated with Knee Osteoarthritis: a Double-blind Randomized Control Trial.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive disease that can be accompanied by considerable joint pain and dysfunction. It is a goal in the medical field to find effective treatments for knee OA that are non-interventional, have minor or no negative side effects, and are relatively easy to administer for the patient and health care professionals. Biofreeze, a topical analgesic containing menthol, is an easily accessible gel, with no known serious negative side effects. If the application of Biofreeze can reduce the pain and dysfunction associated with knee OA, it could be an effective treatment for patients. The objective of the study is to assess how 4 weeks of Biofreeze application to a knee affected by OA effects pain and dysfunction associated with the disease.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease which results in deterioration with articular cartilage and bone tissue of the knee joint (Felson et al., 2000). The disease is prevalent in the elderly and as it progresses, can cause serious joint pain and a lot of knee dysfunction (National Collaborating Centre for Chronic Conditions, 2008). In addition to surgical intervention, there are currently a multitude of non-surgical interventional treatments which have been used to help patients deal with the pain and dysfunction associated with OA. This includes exercise, weight loss, orthotics, topical and oral medications, therapeutic modalities and even more (Dadabo, Fram, and Jayabalan, 2019). While the aforementioned treatments all have advantages, there are some disadvantages including but not limited to; negative side effects of oral medications, exercise intolerance secondary to pain as well as risk of injury, difficulty in maintaining a healthy diet, cost associated with receiving therapeutic modalities, all of which could make the treatments impractical for some or all patients. It is a goal for health researchers, to discover a treatment which can significantly reduce pain and dysfunction associated with knee OA while also limiting the negative side effects or difficulties associated with using the treatment. There are a few studies which have looked at the effect of topical treatments on symptoms associated with knee OA. One study performed a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial using linseed oil (Mosavat et al., 2018). This study found that the administration of linseed oil significantly reduced pain and other symptoms associated with knee OA compared to the control. Another study used a topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to treat knee OA pain (Bookman, Williams, and Shainhouse, 2004).This study also found that the treatment helped with pain, the drug was accompanied with some local skin irritation and minimal systemic side effects (Bookman et al.,2004). Biofreeze, a topical analgesic containing menthol, is a relatively cost-efficient item with no known adverse side effects. If the administration of Biofreeze to a knee affected with OA relieves pain and symptoms associated with OA, it could be a safe and effective treatment for knee OA patients to use. The primary objective in this study is to assess the affects of a menthol based topical agent on osteoarthritis of the knee. Outcome measures are based on scores obtained from the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). The WOMAC questionnaire is a patient-administered questionnaire that contains 24 questions, targeting areas of pain, stiffness and physical function, and can be completed in less than 5 minutes. The questionnaire will be given to the patients at the beginning and at the end of the 4 week study to compare differences.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
70

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2
  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Justin Murphy, MD, MSc
  • Phone Number: 709-765-2161
  • Email: jrmurphy@mun.ca

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Newfoundland and Labrador
      • St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, A1B3V6
        • Memorial University, Faculty of Medicine Department of Surgery

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

50 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Men and women aged 50-80 years
  2. Body mass index (BMI) less than 40
  3. Knee osteoarthritis of grade one or more according to Kellgren-Lawrence scale
  4. Average pain intensity of grade 4 or more on a 10-point visual analogue scale for at least 6 months.
  5. Meet clinical and radiographic criteria of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) for knee OA

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Acute arthritis,
  2. Rheumatologic diseases
  3. Infective arthritis
  4. Traumatic arthritis,
  5. History of knee replacement surgery
  6. Patients receiving multiple corticosteroid injections (Greater than 2 injections)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Topical analgesia (+Menthol)
Biofreeze Topical Gel with active ingredient (Menthol 4%)
Drug: Biofreeze 4 % Topical Gel
Biofreeze gel with active manufactured ingredient (Menthol 4%)
Other Names:
  • Menthol 4% Topical gel
Placebo Comparator: Topical analgesia (-Menthol)
Biofreeze Topical Gel with no active ingredient (Menthol 0%)
Other: Biofreeze placebo gel
Biofreeze gel with no active manufactured to have the same look, feel and odour as Biofreeze topical gel.
Other Names:
  • Placebo gel (Menthol 0%)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Efficacy comparison of (Biofreeze) Menthol 4%, Menthol 0% as measured by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), version 3.0
Time Frame: 4 weeks
Endpoint is a non-inferiority statistical comparison. Comparison is based off of analysis of identical questionnaires administered at baseline and at 4 weeks
4 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Memorial University of Newfoundland

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Nick Smith, MD (FRCSC), Memorial University Orthopaedic Surgery

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 1, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 1, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 15, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 15, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 17, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
December 4, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 1, 2024

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • MUN8051

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Investigators plan to share the study results as a whole but no plans to share individual results.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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