Intra-articular hyaluronic acid (viscosupplementation) for hip osteoarthritis

In viscosupplementation, a glycosaminoglycan called hyaluronic acid (HA) is administered via intra-articular injection to patients with osteoarthritis (OA). Two systematic reviews found that HA for hip OA may relieve pain and improve function. Randomized controlled trials had differing results. Uncontrolled studies suggest that there are moderate improvements regarding pain and function for three to six months after HA injection. There is no evidence regarding the cost-effectiveness of this therapy. No serious adverse events have been reported after intra-articular injection of HA for hip OA. The best available evidence suggests that HA may offer symptomatic relief in patients with mild to moderate hip OA for whom other conservative therapies are contraindicated or have failed. Currently, there is insufficient good quality evidence to determine this conclusively.