Viscosupplementation offers OA pain relief
LAHAINA, Hawaii – Using hyaluronic acid supplementation can offer pain relief for patients with osteoarthritis, according to an orthopedic investigator.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) suppresses cartilage degeneration, reduces the release of proteoglycans from the extracellular matrix of cartilage tissue, suppresses PGE2 production, and influences viscoelasticity and/or lubrication of the stroma.
“There is no question that as we get older we loose sodium hyaluronate,” Robert D. D’Ambrosia, MD, said at Orthopedics Today Hawaii 2008, held here. “The concentration and molecular weight of these molecules in the synovial fluid are substantially decreased as we get older.”
“I am using this as a conservative method, after weight loss and exercise, before I do a total knee replacement,” he said.
Adverse events have been reported at less than 2% and include injection site pain, local skin reactions, pseudosepsis or severe acute inflammatory reaction, or acute pseudogout.