Co-injection of hyaluronic acid (HA) and corticosteroids (CS) was superior to HA alone in the treatment of knee OA

Intra-articular, single-shot co-injection of hyaluronic acid and corticosteroids in knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial.

Article specifications

This clinical trial was published in 2018 in Journal of Exp Ther Med. (IF 2015:1.56) by Chinese specialists. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the co-injection of hyaluronic acid (HA) and corticosteroids (CS) was superior to HA alone in the treatment of knee OA. A total of 120 participants with symptomatic knee OA were recruited and formed the intention-to-treat population for a 6-month follow-up. In the HA group, patients received a single-shot injection of 4 ml HA. In the HA&CS group, patients received a co-injection of 3 ml compound betamethasone solution and 4 ml HA. Visual analog scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and knee flexion motion were assessed as primary outcomes.

 

Result

The results of this study showed that the co-injection of HA and CS provided a rapid improvement in pain relief, knee function, and range of motion, but did not differ significantly from that of HA alone in the long term effect.