Comparison of intra-articular hyaluronic acid and methylprednisolone for pain management in knee osteoarthritis

Comparison of intra-articular hyaluronic acid and methylprednisolone for pain management in knee osteoarthritis: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Article specifications

This meta-analysis was published in 2018 in Journal of Int J Surg. (IF 2017: 2.693) by Chinese specialists. We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to compare the efficacy and safety of intra-articular methylprednisolone and hyaluronic acid (HA) in term of pain reduction and improvements of knee function in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). The PubMed, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched for literature up to January 2018. Five RCTs with 1004 patients were included in the meta-analysis.

 

Result

Both HA and methylprednisolone injections were effective therapies for patients with knee OA. Methylprednisolone showed comparable efficacy in reducing pain and improving functional recovery to HA. And no significant difference was found in long-term of follow-up in terms of adverse effects.