Viscosupplementation for knee osteoarthritis.

PURPOSE: To provide an overview of the diagnosis and pathophysiology of osteoarthritis (OA), and to describe appropriate treatments for knee OA, with a focus on the efficacy and safety of viscosupplementation. Because nurse practitioners (NPs) can inject viscosupplements, a section on injection technique is included.

DATA SOURCES: Manuscripts were identified using PubMed and EMBASE with a review of the reference lists from retrieved articles.

CONCLUSIONS: Viscosupplements are safe and effective at improving function and alleviating knee pain from OA for up to 26 weeks.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: As the number of patients with OA is increasing, NPs need to be prepared to prescribe various treatment options to alleviate osteoarthritic knee pain, including viscosupplementation.