Can Hylan G-F 20 With Corticosteroid Meet the Expectations of Osteoarthritis Patients?

The purpose of this study was to document expectations and outcomes of active adults suffering from knee osteoarthritis (OA) who underwent treatment protocol of hyaluronic acid injection series with single injection of corticosteroid at initial injection. Our hypothesis was that patients would have functional improvement and pain relief following treatment, and that this treatment protocol will meet patients’ expectations of treatment for knee OA.

Forty-seven knees (range, 42-80 years) with a diagnosis of knee OA completed a self-administered questionnaire before and post injection series. Prior to injections, patients completed a validated expectation questionnaire and activity level questions. Following treatment, patients expected pain relief, to walk longer distances, and to increase activity level.

Patients showed significant improvement in WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index) pain subscale, comparing pre-injection and 6 months post-injection scores (P = .003) and overall WOMAC score (P = .038). SF-12 physical component significantly improved. Patients in this study expected to return to high levels of activity. Results showed significant improvement in pain relief and function.

Our results supported that Hylan G-F 20 and corticosteroid are able to meet expectations of older patients with OA who desire to return to an active lifestyle. This study showed patient expectations do influence patient outcome scores and patient satisfaction.