Intrarticular injections of hyaluronic acid for trapezio-metacarpal osteoarthritis

Intrarticular injections of hyaluronic acid for trapezio-metacarpal osteoarthritis: a systematic review

Article specifications

This review study was published in 2015 in Journal of Hand (IF 2011: 2.14) by Britain specialists. Two authors performed the literature review by independently searching the Cochrane, PubMed and Google Scholar databases. A total of 118 relevant articles were found, but only nine studies met the inclusion criteria which included 4 double-blinded randomised control trials (RCTs) and 5 prospective case series.

 

Result

This study demonstrates that there are potentially significant although short-term benefits to be gained from steroid injections into the TMJ. They can lead to pain relief and improved function, certainly in the first 1 to 3 months post-injection. Steroid injections are a low-risk procedure and are helpful in delaying or avoiding the need for surgery.