How do hyaluronic acid and corticosteroid injections compare for knee OA relief?

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Clinical Inquiries

How do hyaluronic acid and corticosteroid injections compare for knee OA relief?

J Fam Pract. 2018 January;67(1):E13-E14

By

Corey Lyon, DO

Emily Spencer, MD

Jack Spittler, MD

Kristen Desanto, MSLS, MS, RD, AHIP

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EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER:

Inconsistent evidence shows a small amount of pain relief early (one week to 3 months) with corticosteroid (CS) injections and an equally small improvement in pain relief and function later (3 to 12 months) with hyaluronic acid (HA) injections (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, meta-analysis of a randomized controlled trial [RCT] and inconsistent RCTs).

Guidelines state that CS injections can be considered for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA), but that insufficient evidence exists to recommend HA injections (SOR: B, evidence-based guidelines).

References

1. Bannuru RR, Schmid CH, Kent DM, et al. Comparative effectiveness of pharmacologic interventions for knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162:46-54.

2. Wang F, He X. Intra-articular hyaluronic acid and corticosteroids in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis. Exp Ther Med. 2015;9:493-500.

3. Tammachote N, Kanitnate S, Yakumpor T, et al. Intra-articular, single-shot Hylan G-F 20 hyaluronic acid injection compared with corticosteroid in knee osteoarthritis: a double-blind, randomized controlled trial. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2016;98:885-892.

4. Trueba Davalillo CA, Trueba Vasavilbaso C, Navarrete Alvarez JM, et al. Clinical efficacy of intra-articular injections in knee osteoarthritis: a prospective randomized study comparing hyaluronic acid and betamethasone. Open Access Rheumatol Res Rev. 2015;7:9-18.

5. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee: Evidence-Based Guideline. 2nd ed. Available at: http://www.aaos.org/cc_files/aaosorg/research/guidelines/treatmentofosteoarthritisofthekneeguideline.pdf. Accessed May 15, 2016.

6. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Osteoarthritis: Care and Management. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg177/chapter/1-recommendations. Accessed May 15, 2016.

7. United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense. VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Non-Surgical Management of Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis. Available at: http://www.healthquality.va.gov/guidelines/CD/OA/VADoDOACPGFINAL090214.pdf. Accessed May 15, 2016.

EVIDENCE SUMMARY

A 2015 network meta-analysis of 137 RCTs with 33,243 patients (ages 45-76 years) with knee OA compared the effectiveness of a variety of treatments including intra-articular CS and HA.¹ At 3 months, the effect on pain was not significantly different between the CS and HA groups (12 trials; effect size [ES]=0.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.12 to 0.17). However, a small but significant improvement in function was noted (scoring system not defined) at 3 months favoring HA (ES=0.24; 95% CI, 0.06-0.43; number of trials not specified).

At 3 and 6 months, HA improves pain, but not function, more than CS

Another meta-analysis published in 2015 examined the effectiveness of intra-articular CS and HA in 7 RCTs with 583 patients with knee OA.² All 7 trials were included in the network meta-analysis and discussed separately to evaluate different time points.

Pain at one month wasn’t significantly different using a visual analog score (VAS) of one to 100 (4 trials; 245 patients; mean difference [MD]=1.66 points; 95% CI, -0.90 to 4.23). At 3 and 6 months, the HA group reported significantly reduced pain compared with the CS group (3 months: 3 trials; 320 patients; MD=12.58 points; 95% CI, -17.76 to -7.40; 6 months: 5 trials; 411 patients; MD=9.01 points; 95% CI, -12.62 to -5.40). There were no significant differences in function outcomes (Index of severity for OA of the knee by Lequesne et al; The Knee Society Clinical Rating System), maximum flexion, or adverse events.

Triamcinolone improves pain, function, but not for long

A 2016 double-blind RCT of 110 patients with knee OA compared intra-articular HA and triamcinolone, assessing pain and function at intervals between 24 hours and 6 months.³ Patients in the HA group received a single injection of 6 mL hylan G-F 20 (Synvisc); patients in the CS group received 1 mL of triamcinolone acetonide 40 mg and 5 mL of 1% lidocaine with epinephrine.

The CS group reported significantly less pain (VAS score 1 to 100) at 24 hours than the HA group (24 points vs 36 points; P=.002); relief lasted as long as one week (14 points vs 23 points; P=.018). After the first week, no difference was seen in pain between groups for as long as 6 months.

Function, assessed by a modified Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC 1 to 100; higher score indicates worse pain, stiffness, and function) showed a significant improvement with CS at 2 weeks (25 points vs 31 points; P=.03), but no difference at any other time point up to 6 months.

Evidence-based answers from the Family Physicians Inquiries Network

How do hyaluronic acid and corticosteroid injections compare for knee OA relief?

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER:

References

EVIDENCE SUMMARY

At 3 and 6 months, HA improves pain, but not function, more than CS

Triamcinolone improves pain, function, but not for long

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