In surprisingly good news, a recent study showed that injections commonly used to treat osteoarthritis patients are not very effective at relieving pain, even increasing the risk of harmful side effects.
Hyaluronic acid injections have been prescribed to patients since the 1970s, but despite previous research finding the treatment ineffective, these injections have continued to be used increasingly in some countries.
main reason
According to the study, whose authors concluded that more than 560 million people suffer from this condition worldwide, knee osteoarthritis is a major cause of disability among the elderly.
This inflammation also causes the cartilage in the knee joints to deteriorate, often resulting in pain and difficulty walking.
It is noteworthy that for a long time, injections of hyaluronic acid, a gel, into the joint have been used to soften movement and reduce pain.
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‘Strong evidence’
The authors of the study, whose results were published in the scientific journal “BMG”, analyzed 169 previous trials that compared people who received hyaluronic acid injections with others who received a placebo injection, or who did not undergo any treatment.
The researchers then limited the analysis to 24 large placebo trials involving nearly 9,000 patients, in the largest review of data available to date.
They found “strong conclusive evidence” that “increased viscosity is associated with a clinically unrelated reduction in pain intensity,” according to the study.
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It may also be harmful.
They also added that the treatment “is associated with a higher incidence of serious adverse events”, noting that these injections “are not only ineffective compared to placebo, but may also be seriously harmful.”
According to the study, more than 12,000 patients underwent useless treatment between 2009 and 2021. And use of the treatment in the United States increased dramatically from 2012 to 2018, with one in seven patients with the condition receiving an injection of hyaluronic acid, which was the first treatment for many.