Intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid after arthroscopic surgery fails to provide additional benefit for symptomatic degenerative arthropathy patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to provide the evidence of the role of addition hyaluronic acid immediate after arthroscopy in pain relief and functional recovery.

METHODS: A multiple databases search of the PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses criteria to identify randomized controlled trials that evaluate the effect the hyaluronic acid compared with placebo addition immediately after arthroscopy for degenerative arthropathy. Data related to postoperative pain using the visual analog scale, and functional scores, were extracted and analyzed using the RevMan software.

RESULTS: A total of five randomized controlled trials were included in this study. All patients showed significant pain relief after surgery at 2 weeks and 2 months, but no statistically significant differences between the hyaluronic group and control group were observed at 2 weeks and 2 months, respectively. This meta-analysis did not find a difference of WOMAC score between the two groups at 2 weeks (MD: 3.07; 95% CI: -0.66 to 6.81; I2 =39%; P = 0.11) and 2 months (MD: 5.47; 95% CI: -0.69 to 11.62; I2 =57%; P = 0.08), respectively.

CONCLUSION: For patients with symptomatic degenerative arthropathy, adding hyaluronic acid immediately after arthroscopic surgery did not appear to provide patients with more pain relief and better functional recovery.