Optimizing Osteoarthritis Management - Therapeutic Efficacy and Evaluation of Intra-Articular Triamcinolone Acetonide...

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative joint disease that often leads to pain and diminished quality of life in patients. For end-stage osteoarthritis, surgical intervention remains the only effective treatment. However, for the majority of patients, surgery is not the initial consideration. The management of osteoarthritis primarily focuses on alleviating associated clinical symptoms, and rational non-surgical conservative treatment is the recommended approach for patients in the early to middle stages. Intra-articular injection therapy represents one of the most effective non-surgical treatment options, second only to oral analgesics and anti-inflammatory medications, with a lower incidence of systemic complications. Compared to surgery, it is more cost-effective and less invasive. Among these, intra-articular corticosteroid injection is a widely adopted non-surgical treatment by rheumatologists for osteoarthritis. Numerous studies have demonstrated that intra-articular corticosteroid injections can provide short-term pain relief in osteoarthritis. Triamcinolone Acetonide (TA) is one of the commonly used corticosteroids, valued for its notable anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. It is extensively applied in intra-articular injections for osteoarthritis to alleviate pain and potentially delay disease progression. The purpose of this paper is to review the mechanism of action of Triamcinolone Acetonide, its current applications and efficacy in osteoarthritis, safety profile, and future directions, thereby providing a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for clinical management strategies in osteoarthritis.