Viscosupplementation in the Therapy for Osteoarthritic Knee

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease that is spreading worldwide due to an aging population. This is not simply a disease caused by worn out joints, but a complex disease accompanied by various mechanisms such as inflammatory reactions. Among various joints, knee joints show degenerative changes earlier than other joints because they carry most of the weight load, causing social-economic problems. In the case of OA of the knee that does not respond to relatively simple conservative treatments such as physical therapy or medication, intra-articular injection is preferred. However, intra-articular injection drugs have limited effectiveness and uncertainties. There are several intra-articular viscous supplement drugs such as hyaluronic acid. Tissue regeneration active materials such as polydeoxyribonucleotide and polynucleotide are also newly used. The objective of this paper was to compare effects of intra-articular supplementation drugs used for degenerative arthritis of the knee.