New gel and therapy combo targets knee pain in older women

This study is testing whether applying a metformin gel to the skin using a mild electrical current (iontophoresis), combined with standard physical therapy, can better reduce pain and improve movement in postmenopausal women with knee osteoarthritis compared to physical therapy alone. All 68 participants will receive physical therapy, but half will get the active gel and half will get a placebo gel, with neither the participants nor the researchers assessing them knowing who gets which. The goal is to see if this new approach helps manage the chronic symptoms of knee arthritis.