When patients complain of joint pain, and early degenerative changes to the structure of their joints are discovered, a range of conservative measures can be taken to impede the progress of articular degeneration. Appropriate exercise regimes, healthy eating and weight reduction programmes, along with therapeutic interventions such as physiotherapy, are the first and most important items on the list.
Treatment algorithms may also involve pharmacologic interventions, which often prove beneficial in the short to mid-term, but commonly result in problematic side effects, rendering them less optimal in the longer term. Viscosupplementation with hyaluronic acid offers another safe and effective treatment option for patients suffering with the symptoms of Osteoarthritis or traumatically induced changes to articular joints. This simple procedure – involving an intra-articular injection – can significantly decrease pain and stiffness, and improve function, without the worry of suppressed immunity or other negative side effects.
