Did the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Osteoarthritis Guidelines Miss the Mark?

Did the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Osteoarthritis Guidelines Miss the Mark?

Article specifications

This study was published in 2014 in the journal of arthroscopic and related surgery (IF 2016:4.56) by expert American orthopedics. In this study they evaluated the guideline of American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Osteoarthritis(AAOS) 2013. for knee osteoarthritis recommended against the use of viscosupplementation for failing to meet the criterion of minimum clinically important improvement (MCII).

Results

The most recent AAOS CPG for knee OA raised controversy by “strongly recommending” against the use of viscosupplementation. Although the AAOS’s meta-analyses showed statistically significant treatment effects of viscosupplementation, it was nevertheless deemed ineffective.  In addition, multiple variables associated with treatment of a patient with OA, such as arthritis severity, the number of compartments involved, alignment, age, body weight, activity level, and medical comorbidities, were not addressed in these guidelines. Although guidelines can assist treatment decisions, they are not definitive and must therefore be used with caution and as an ancillary to clinical reasoning on a case-by-case basis.