63 randomised placebo-controlled trials were included in this meta-analysis to determine the maximal short-term effect of common pharmacotherapeutic interventions for short-term pain relief for knee osteoarthritis. Opioid therapy, oral NSAID, topical NSAID, steroid injections, paracetamol, glucosamine sulphate, and chondroitin sulphate were evaluated in this study. When assessed in comparison to placebo, corticosteroid injections provided the greatest pain relief over the first 4 weeks, having a maximal effect at 1.5 weeks. However, when the maximal effects of these pharmacotherapeutic interventions were assessed in reference to a patient-centered threshold for clinical relevance, none of the treatments fully exceeded a threshold for a minimal clinically important improvement. Corticosteroid injection was the only treatment to meet the threshold for "slight improvement" during the first 4 weeks.