The authors present a review of contemporary possibilities of treatment of osteoarthritis focused on analgesic treatment, in particular the use of opioids (tramadol). As causal treatment of osteoar- thritis is lacking and pain is the main symptom of this disease, analgesic treatment plays a crucial part in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Pain in osteoarthritis is of multifactorial origin and therefore treatment with analgesics (paracetamol) or NSA is not necessarily effective and other possibilities must be sought. One of them is tramadol, the effectiveness of which in osteoarthritis as well as its safety was tested in a number of clinical trials. Use of tramadol is associated neither with tolerance nor with addiction development, side-effects are less serious than after NSA. This year at the EULAR Conference the drug was included in ACR guidelines for the treatment of osteoarthritis.

        Key words: osteoarthritis, tramadol, pain, opioids