We investigate pain and inflammatory parameters (cytokines, immune cells) in knee joint tissue of chronic arthritis patients following intraarticular (i.a.) injections of morphine, a standard steroid or placebo. The primary hypothesis is that i.a. morphine results in significantly lower pain scores and supplemental analgesic consumption than placebo during the first week after injection and has an efficacy comparable to standard i.a. steroid (dexamethasone) medication.
Investigators involved: Christoph Stein, M. Özgür Celik, Hildrun Haibel