Viscosupplementation for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee

Osteoarthritis of the knee is a degenerative disease that frequently results in the need for total knee replacement. This disease has been absorbing an ever-growing share of the human and financial resources of Québec's health-care system.

Considered by some to  be an alternative to surgery, viscosupplementation involves draining the affected knee then injecting it with hyaluronic acid. The clinical effectiveness of this procedure, which is intended to relieve pain and improve joint mobility, remains controversial.

After examining a series of meta-analyses and assessments reports on the different types of viscosupplements available, we concluded that viscosupplementation offers clinically modest relief from the symptoms of knee OA over a period that could last up to several weeks. It is furthermore a safe short-term treatment. Of note, these conclusion are based on secondary analyses of a multitude of small primary studies of poor methodological quality.