The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relative effectiveness of manipulation versus Meloxicam (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) to determine which is more beneficial in treating osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. This was a prospective, randomized clinical trial consisting of a population of 60 voluntary subjects who were diagnosed as suffering from OA of the knee. The patients were divided equally into two groups of 30, with group A receiving chiropractic maniulative therapy on eight consultations over 3 weeks and group B receiving Meloxicam 7.5 mg tablets once daily for 3 weeks. The capturing of the subjective and objective data for both groups took place on the first, fourth and eighth consultations. Subjective data were captured using the numerical pain rating scale 101, the visual analogue scale and the Patient-Specific Functional Scale. Objective data were gathered from goniometric and pressure algometer measurements. Statistical analysis was completed under the guidance of a statistician from Technikon Natal, Durban, South Africa, using a two-sample paired t-test and an independent samples unpaired t-test, comparing the intra-group and inter-group data, respectively, at the 95% level of confidence. It was evident from the intra-group comparison that group A showed a greater statistically significant improvement than group B objectively. However, both groups showed significant improvements subjectively. The inter-group comparison showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups objectively or subjectively. Power analysis of the goniometric results was low, indicating the possibility of a type II error. Therefore, it was concluded from the study that both manipulation and Meloxicam are equally effective in the short-term treatment of OA of the knee.

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