Osteoarthritis can make it feel as though there are only two options: learn to live with the pain or wait until it becomes significant enough to consider surgery.
Fortunately, that is not the whole story.
There is currently no treatment that can "cure" or reverse osteoarthritis. However, there are several ways to act to reduce symptoms, preserve mobility, improve function, and regain a better quality of life. Joint replacement surgery is generally considered when symptoms substantially affect quality of life and non-surgical approaches are no longer sufficient or appropriate.
One of the most important things: keep moving
It may seem counterintuitive when a joint hurts, but therapeutic exercise and physical activity are among the fundamental treatments for osteoarthritis. Muscle strengthening, in particular, helps to better support the joint.
Depending on the situation, management may also include physiotherapy, activity modification, weight management where relevant, pain treatments, and certain injections. For example, intra-articular corticosteroids can provide short-term relief for some people.
What about collagen?
This is where the story becomes particularly interesting.
Articular cartilage naturally contains collagen. But one must be careful with shortcuts: taking collagen does not mean it will completely "rebuild" damaged cartilage.
What clinical studies tend to observe instead are the predominant effects of supplementation on parameters such as pain and function.
A meta-analysis published in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage including 35 randomized trials and 3,165 participants concluded that collagen derivatives produced small to moderate effects on pain reduction and functional improvement compared to control groups.
Another meta-analysis focusing specifically on knee osteoarthritis and including 11 randomized trials, or 870 participants, also observed improvements in pain and function with oral supplementation of collagen derivatives.
A more recent randomized trial studied 10 g per day of hydrolyzed collagen peptides for six months in people with grade II or III knee osteoarthritis and reported an improvement in pain and function compared to a placebo.
So, is collagen a solution for osteoarthritis?
Collagen is neither a miracle cure nor a substitute for medical management. But the available scientific data suggest that supplementation with collagen derivatives can help improve certain symptoms, particularly pain and function, in some people suffering from osteoarthritis.
Do not just wait
Receiving an osteoarthritis diagnosis should not mean: "There is nothing to be done before surgery."
Instead, there is a whole period during which you can work with your healthcare professionals to maintain movement, strengthen muscles, reduce symptoms, support function, and preserve healthy joints and an active life for as long as possible.
And it is within this comprehensive approach that nutrition and certain supplements, including collagen derivatives, can have their place.
Because between suffering and waiting, there is a whole space for action.
Scientific studies:
-
Liang CW, Cheng HY, Lee YH, Liao CD, Huang SW. (2024)
Efficacy and safety of collagen derivatives for osteoarthritis: A trial sequential meta-analysis.
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 32(5), 574–584.
DOI : 10.1016/j.joca.2023.12.010 — PMID : 38218227.
This is the meta-analysis I mentioned with 35 randomized trials and 3,165 participants. It concludes that there are small to moderate effects on pain and function. -
Simental-Mendía M, Ortega-Mata D, Acosta-Olivo CA, et al. (2025)
Effect of collagen supplementation on knee osteoarthritis: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology, 43(1), 126–134.
DOI : 10.55563/clinexprheumatol/kflfr5 — PMID : 39212129.
11 randomized trials, 870 participants. The authors report a statistically significant improvement in pain and function with collagen compared to a placebo. -
Carrillo-Norte JA, Gervasini-Rodríguez G, Santiago-Triviño MA, García-López V, Guerrero-Bonmatty R. (2024/2025)
Oral administration of hydrolyzed collagen alleviates pain and enhances functionality in knee osteoarthritis: Results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 43, 101424.
DOI : 10.1016/j.conctc.2024.101424 — PMID : 39839727.
This one is particularly interesting for us: 120 people, grade II or III knee osteoarthritis, randomized into two groups of 60. The intervention group received 10 g/day of hydrolyzed collagen peptides for 6 months. The researchers observed, compared to the placebo, a significant improvement in pain and function as well as a decrease in certain measured inflammatory markers.
