Viscosupplementation with sodium hyaluronate for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee

Objective To evaluate the clinical effect of viscosupplementation with 4 different brands of SH injections in treating osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee intra articularly. Method 80 patients with OA of the knee were divided randomly into 4 groups, patients of groupⅠ were treated with Synvisc, patients of groupⅡ were treated with Sofast, patients of group Ⅲ were treated with Artz and patients of group Ⅳ were treated with Yishukang. Assessments of joint pain and function were evaluated respectively before treatment and the follow-up on the 3rd, 5th week after the first injection and the 1st month after the whole treatment finished. Result All groups showed significant improvements in the joint pain and function from baseline and did not differ from each other significantly. Compared to others in the expenditure on the treatment. Sofast is more economical. Conclusion Intra articular injection of SH was an effective method for the treatment of OA of the knee.