Britons with arthritis are being urged to lose weight and exercise more than they do now.
Nice says that people who are overweight should be told that their pain can be reduced if they lose weight.
Aerobic exercise such as walking and strength training can help with symptoms and improve quality of life. HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax HairMax
Recommendations on the use of medicines are given in the guidelines, but they don't recommend the use of paracetamol, glucosamine or strong opioids.
Nice said there was a risk of addiction with strong opioids, and that there was little or no benefit for some medicines when it came to quality of life and pain levels.
In the guidance, doctors are told to diagnose osteoarthritis without further investigation in people over the age of 45 who have activity-related joint pain.
Patients should not have morning joint-related stiffness that lasts longer than 30 minutes to be diagnosed this way.
The draft guidelines say that people can be offered tailored exercise programmes, with the explanation that doing regular and consistent exercise will be beneficial for their joints.
The guideline says that exercising in the long-term increases health benefits.
Losing 10% of your body weight is likely to be better than 5% when it comes to weight loss.
If a person's condition cannot be managed in other ways, they can be referred for hip or knee replacement.
Dr Paul Chrisp, director for the centre for guidelines at Nice, said thatOsteoarthritis can cause pain and prevent people from doing their normal daily activities.
There is evidence that shows muscle-strengthening and aerobic exercise can have an impact on not just managing the condition, but also providing people with an improved quality of life.
It can be difficult for some people at first, and they should be supported and provided with enough information to help them manage their condition over time.
We have decided not to recommend some painkillers for osteoarthritis because they are not an important treatment option.
There was little or no benefit to people's quality of life, pain or psychological distress, and particularly in the case of strong opioids there was evidence that they can cause harm in the longer term.
More than 10 million people in the UK have arthritis or similar conditions that affect the joints. The knees, hips, and small hand joints are the most affected areas.
The head of policy and public affairs at the charity Versus Arthritis said that they have seen the benefits of being able to access appropriate physical activity for people with osteoarthritis. A person can improve their mobility, manage their pain and reduce feelings of isolation by exercising.
Our research showed that many people with osteoarthritis don't have access to physical activity support or have their conditions regularly reviewed by healthcare professionals.
The lack of alternatives means that many people are stuck on painkillers that aren't helping them to live a pain-free life.
While we welcome the draft Nice guidelines, healthcare professionals need further resources and support to better understand their role in promoting treatment like physical activity for people with osteoarthritis.
There is a need for people with arthritis to be given a bigger voice so that their health needs are not ignored.
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