A study on the effectiveness of visco‑supplementation in osteoarthritis knee

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease of synovial joints; recently, it is also termed osteoarthrosis. High‑molecular‑weight hyaluronic acid (HA) has a better increase in fluid retention within the joint and stronger anti‑inflammatory effect. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to assess the efficacy of intra‑articular (IA) HA in primary OA of knee joint based on clinical outcome with visual analog score (VAS) and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities OA Index (WOMAC) score and to determine the safety of IA HA in primary OA of knee joint. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A single‑group, prospective interventional study was conducted from November 2017 to May 2019 in a tertiary care hospital. A total of 36 patients with Grades I and II of Kellegren–Lawrence radiological grading were included in the study. IA injection of HA was given to these patients and were assessed using VAS and WOMAC scores. RESULTS: The mean VAS scores improved from preinjection score of 9.03 ± 0.94 to 2.61 ± 2.15 at 6‑month follow‑up. In addition, the mean WOMAC scores improved from 81.14 ± 6.43 to 35.81 ± 13.44 at 6‑month post‑IA HA injection. CONCLUSIONS: This study observed that IA injection of HA is a reliable, productive, efficient, and safe mode of treatment of Grade I and II OA knee, which also delays the disease and reduces the need for surgical intervention.