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Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy
Published in: Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy 5/2016

01-05-2016 | Knee

Efficacy of intra-articular hyaluronic acid injections and exercise-based rehabilitation programme, administered as isolated or integrated therapeutic regimens for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis

Authors: Maristella F. Saccomanno, Fabrizio Donati, Silvia Careri, Matteo Bartoli, Gabriele Severini, Giuseppe Milano

Published in: Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy | Issue 5/2016

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Abstract

Purpose

To assess the efficacy of intra-articular hyaluronic acid (HA) injections and exercise-based rehabilitation (EBR) programme, administered as isolated or integrated for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.

Methods

One hundred sixty-five patients affected by moderate degrees of knee OA were randomly divided into three groups. Group 1 (HA) underwent three HA injections (one every 2 weeks); group 2 (EBR) underwent 20 treatment sessions in a month of an individualized programme; and group 3 (HA + EBR) received both treatments simultaneously. Primary outcome was the Italian version of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Osteoarthritis Index; secondary outcome was the evaluation of active range of movement (AROM). All patients were evaluated before and 1, 3 and 6 months after treatment. Significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results

Two patients in each group were lost to follow-up. No adverse events occurred. All groups experienced improvements at 1-month follow-up. No further improvements could be detected within groups over time. At 1-month follow-up, WOMAC pain subscale showed significant improvement in group 3 compared to group 1 (p = 0.043). WOMAC pain, stiffness and function subscales showed that group 2 significantly worsened between 1 and 6 months after treatment (p = 0.004, p = 0.026 and p = 0.025, respectively). AROM revealed no significant differences between and within groups over time.

Conclusions

Intra-articular HA injections and individualized rehabilitation programmes administered in isolation or in combination are effective in improving knee function and pain relief. The combined treatment showed the greatest pain relief at 1-month follow-up compared to either in isolation. Compared to the previous studies, this is the first study, which proposed an EBR programme tailored to the compartment of the knee joint most involved in the degenerative process.

Level of evidence

I.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Efficacy of intra-articular hyaluronic acid injections and exercise-based rehabilitation programme, administered as isolated or integrated therapeutic regimens for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis
Authors
Maristella F. Saccomanno
Fabrizio Donati
Silvia Careri
Matteo Bartoli
Gabriele Severini
Giuseppe Milano
Publication date
01-05-2016
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy / Issue 5/2016
Print ISSN: 0942-2056
Electronic ISSN: 1433-7347
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-015-3917-9

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