Summary: Intra-articular hyaluronic acid (HA) injection is an effective and safe treatment for patients with mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis, which relieves pain and improves joint function. Injection through medial midpatellar (MMP) route is observed to provide a greater coverage of HA throughout the vulnerable regions of the articular cartilage in osteoarthritic knee compare to anteromedial (AM) route. Specifically, intra-articular HA with MMP injection route showed a nearly full coverage of patellofemoral joint and a large coverage of medial femorotibial joint, as well as a half coverage of lateral femorotibial joint. Correspondingly, injection through the MMP route is superior to AM route in achieving pain relief and global patient satisfaction. To this end, intra-articular HA injection through the MMP route is recommended for patients with mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis in the future clinical practice.
This paper was selected as the best paper in the February 2021 issue by the editors.
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