The effect of Topical Application of Extra Virgin Olive Oil on Alleviating Knee Pain in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Pilot Study

Objective: To investigate and compare the effect of topical application of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) on the pain of osteoarthritic knee (s) with the effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Participants: A convenient sample of thirty patients with knee(s) osteoarthritis (16 females and 14 males) were randomly assigned to three groups; Group A (n=10) treated with topical application of EVOO and exercise, group B (n=10) received topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Ketoprofen gel) over the knee(s) and exercise, and group C received therapeutic exercise only. Method: Treatment was carried out in physical therapy outpatient clinic for 5 days a week for two weeks. Group A received topical EVOO (3ml) and group B received topical ketoprofen gel (3 cm2) three times a day followed by therapeutic exercise. Group C received therapeutic exercise only three times a day. Pain visual analog scale (VAS) and Western Ontario and McMaster (WOMC) universities index measurement were taken at baseline and after two weeks of treatment. Results: All groups showed significant improvement (p0.05), however, both groups significantly experienced less pain than group C (p Conclusion: Topical application of EVOO showed to be effective in alleviating the symptoms of patients diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis compared to topical application of NSAID.