Efficacy of intraarticular steroid injection in knee osteoarthritis using knee society score and visual analog score

Background: Osteoarthritis of knee is a chronic degenerative joint disease which leads to pain, swelling, stiffness and decreased quality of life. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of intra-articular steroid injection for osteoarthritis knee by using knee society score (KSS) and visual analog scale (VAS). Methods: A prospective study of 38 patients (44 knees) diagnosed with osteoarthritis of knee were given 80mg of intra-articular methylprednisolone injection. The outcome was assessed using KSS and VAS before the injection and 3 months post injection. Results: The mean VAS improved 3 months post injection whereas there was no improvement in the mean KSS. The scores of VAS 3 months post injection were statistically significant whereas the KSS scores were statistically insignificant compared with the pre injection values. Conclusions: Intra-articular steroid injection for osteoarthritis of knee produces significant pain relief for most patients even in severe cases but this not translate to better functional outcomes.