Therapeutic efficacy of three hyaluronic acid formulations in young and middle-aged patients with early-stage meniscal injuries.
Bahar Dernek, Fatma Nur Kesiktas, Tahir Mutlu Duymus and 2 others
PMID 28744035WHAT IT FOUND
In 55 patients with early-stage meniscal degeneration, pain and function improved after treatment with any of three hyaluronic acid injections over six months.
No formulation was clearly better than the others.
Key findings
0155 patients with early-stage meniscal degeneration received hyaluronic acid injections and were followed for six months.
02Pain and function improved in all three treatment groups at one, three, and six months compared with baseline.
03The three groups did not differ significantly in pain or function scores at baseline or follow-up.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was a retrospective comparison of patients who had already received different treatments, so differences between groups may reflect who chose each treatment rather than the treatment itself. There was no placebo group, so improvement from baseline cannot be separated from natural course or other care. Patients were not prevented from using analgesics or non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs. Follow-up was limited to six months. The study included 55 patients from one clinic. The paper does not report how many patients completed all follow-up visits.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict-of-interest declaration appears in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that one hyaluronic acid formulation is better than the others. The groups did not differ significantly in pain or function scores at follow-up.