A study published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology (Nov, 2011) has shown that chondroitin decreases pain and improves function in patients with osteoarthritis of the hand. Grip sterngth was not improved. The dose was 800 mg daily, consisting of chondroitins 4 and 6 of fish origin.

COMMENT: Chondroitin is commonly used with glucosamine, the latter which has definitive evidence of benefit on osteoarthritis of extremity joints. Chondroitin alone has been shown not to be effective in arthritis of the hip or knee, but apparently does in the hand. Nevertheless, I recommend using glucosamine either alone or with other additives that appear to work better.