By Pat Hagan for the Daily Mail
Published: 22:37 GMT, 25 February 2019 | Updated: 22:38 GMT, 25 February 2019
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A jab made from a chemical a thousand times hotter than chillies could be a new treatment for sore knees.
The hot jab contains resiniferatoxin (RTX), which burns away the nerve endings inside the knee that are responsible for transmitting pain signals from a damaged joint to the brain.
When these pain messages are stopped from getting through, it seems to ease the patient’s suffering.
The hot jab contains resiniferatoxin (RTX), which burns away the nerve endings inside the knee that are responsible for transmitting pain signals from a damaged joint to the brain
A new U.S. trial involving 30 patients shows a single jab eases pain from osteoarthritis within 24 hours and many patients were still getting relief three months later.
An estimated nine million people in Britain have osteoarthritis. Joints suffer wear and tear with age (other risk factors include being overweight, a family history of it and sports injuries). As a result, the cushioning cartilage in the joints breaks down, meaning bones rub against each other, causing inflammation and pain.
Patients often need anti-inflammatory painkillers. While these help, they can damage the stomach if used for long periods.
Steroid injections can dampen down inflammation, but these sometimes worsen the condition by causing cortisone flare — where the injected steroid (cortisone) crystallises inside the joint and
