Efficacy of Single-dose Intra-articular Injection of High-molecular-weight Hyaluronic Acid in Patients suffering from Primary Osteoarthritis of Knee

ABSTRACT Aim To find the effectiveness of single-dose intra-articular (IA) injection of high-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid (HMWHA) in patients suffering from primary osteoarthritis (OA) of knee. Study design A randomized control trial. Duration of the study One-and-a-half years, commencing from October 2014. Settings Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) Department, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal, Manipur, India. Study population All patients suffering from OA knee, who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for classification of idiopathic OA knee and attending the department during the study period. Materials and methods Sixty-five patients were randomized to receive either visco-supplementation with single-dose IA injection of HMWHA (study group) or methylprednisolone (control group) and follow-up was done at 1, 3, and 6 months. Outcome measures were done with Western Ontario and McMaster University (WOMAC) and visual analog scale (VAS) for pain. Results Both the groups showed significant improvement in both WOMAC and VAS pain score at the end of 3 months. But at the end of 6 months, improvement in terms of WOMAC (p = 0.09) and VAS pain (p = 0.07) scores in control group was not significant, whereas the study group maintained statistically significant improvement. Conclusion A single dose of IA HMWHA is effective in reducing pain and disability in patients with primary OA of knee. How to cite this article Yengkhom JS, Nongmaithem RS, Chiru MSC, Thakur KB, Debnath U. Efficacy of Single-dose Intra-articular Injection of High-molecular-weight Hyaluronic Acid in Patients suffering from Primary Osteoarthritis of Knee. Indian J Phy Med Rehab 2017;28(3):89-94.