Intrarticular Sodium Hyaluronate for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee. A Retrospective Review of 45 Patients

Intrarticular Hyaluronic Acid was administered to 45 patients with various grades of osteoarthritis in the knee. Following 3 fortnightly injections, these patients were reviewed at 6 weeks and 3 months with regard to their knee pain. We found that most patients (84.4%) had decreased knee pain following these injections. Patients who had severe grade osteoarthritis based on knee radiographs before the injections were less likely to have pain reduction compared to those with milder grade osteoarthritis. Only 4 (8.9%) patients showed no improvement and were subsequently considered for surgery. Many patients did not require any further treatment (24.4%) and the remaining were given analgesia (64.4%) to aid in their pain. One patient required another course of this injection. There were no complications recorded in this study. We concluded that intrarticular Hyaluronic Acid is an easy and safe method to treat osteoarthritis. The short-term outcome with regard to knee pain is good in patients with milder grades of osteoarthritis.