Efficacy and Safety of Muscle Rub Ointment in The Management of Arthritis and Certain Musculoskeletal Disorders

Abstract

Traditional Indian medicine has long used Muscle Rub Ointment to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but its safety and effectiveness have not been well studied. To bridge this gap, an extensive investigation was carried out to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a specially designed Muscle Rub Ointment for individuals with RA. Over a 7-year period, 290 RA patients received customized care from Ayurvedic doctors in accordance with established practices.  The American Rheumatism Association criteria were used for monitoring every six weeks, and treatment regimens varied from one to six months. Based on statistical analysis (repeated measures t-test), 33 discharged patients' first-year data were the subject of the study. There were notable improvements even among the most severely disabled patients in a number of indicators, such as functional class, rheumatoid factor, grip strength, walking time, swollen joints, painful joints, joint count, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Despite the fact that some patients did not get regular follow-up, the data that was available indicated persistent gains after discharge, especially in grip strength. The results of this study highlight the potential benefits of using ancient Ayurvedic medicine to treat RA and highlight the need for further emphasizing the need for further controlled investigations into its efficacy.