Osteoarthritis strikes 27 million people of all ages in the U.S. For many sufferers, pain is a daily companion that can keep them from living full, active lives, Nesmax Health reports.

But a wide variety of effective treatments can change that reality for most people living with chronic pain. Melanie Rosenblatt, M.D., a South Florida doctor whose practice specializes in pain management, says the key is finding the right approach — ranging from drugs, to injections, surgery, and even alternative-medicine strategies — to ease chronic joint pain from arthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is caused by aging joints, injury, and obesity. Symptoms include joint pain and stiffness and can affect the hand, wrist, neck, back, knee, and hip.

For pain in particular areas — knees, hips, shoulders — steroid injections can help. For more complicated cases of back pain and other more serious chronic conditions, surgery and prescription medications are sometimes the best option, she says. But for many other patients, alternative therapies and even some supplements — such as chondroitin and glucosamine — can help.