What is hyaluronic acid (HA)?
Our body makes hyaluronic acid. It’s a natural part of the fluid that helps lubricate and cushion your joints and keeps them working smoothly.
When you have osteoarthritis (OA), the hyaluronic acid in the affected joint thins. Hyaluronic acid injections add to your body’s natural supply.
Will HA injections work for me?
Doctors can’t predict who will benefit from hyaluronic acid injections. But many doctors give them to people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) whose symptoms don’t get better with painkillers, exercise or non-drug treatments such as heat or ice.
Hyaluronic injections are also often tried by people who can’t take painkillers or can’t have (or aren’t ready for) total knee replacement surgery.
Studies show hyaluronic acid injections may work better than painkillers for some people with OA without the stomach and cardiac risks of some painkillers. Other studies have shown they also may work as well as corticosteroid knee injections.
Hyaluronic acid injections seem to work better in some people than others. They may be less effective in older adults and people with severe OA.
What to expect
The injection is given once a week for three consecutive weeks. First, the doctor cleans the area. If your knee is swollen with excess fluid, your doctor may inject a local anesthetic, then insert a needle into the joint to withdraw excess fluid. With the same needle still in place, the doctor can usually inject the hyaluronic acid into the knee joint.
After an injection, you shouldn’t do hard weight-bearing activity for one or two days. Otherwise, you should be able to resume normal activities.
The most common short-term side effects are minor pain at the injection site and minor buildup of joint fluid. These get better within a few days.
Rarely the injected joint may flare up with increased inflammation.
Aaron Armstrong, MPE, ATC
Athletic Trainer
Elite Sports Medicine Clinic at the Sports, Spine and Rehabilitation Centre
esmbahamas@gmail.com
Aaron Armstrong holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA in Athletic Training and has been a Board Certified Athletic Trainer since 2012. He also earned a Master of Physical Education degree in Athletic Administration from Idaho State University in Pocatello, ID.
Our certified sports medicine team can help prevent and treat injuries to keep you performing at your best.
Our professional sports health care team at Elite Sports Medicine are US board certified health care professionals. We offer the highest level of sports injury care in the Bahamas for youth athletes, professional athletes and even the weekend warriors.