Vitamin D May Help Arthritic Knees Function Better

Boston researchers report a link between low serum levels of vitamin D and decreased knee function in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. At the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in San Antonio, Dr. David Felson of Boston University presented his team's findings from 221 subjects recruited from the Boston VA Medical Center. All had knee arthritis and reported knee pain on most days in the month before they joined the study. The investigators measured blood levels of vitamin D at the start and again after 15 and 30 months. They compared change in vitamin D levels with changes in knee pain, physical function and muscle strength during the 30-month study period.