Efficacy of intra-articular injection of medical ozone or sodium hyaluronate in the treatment of patients with knee osteoarthritis

Abstract

Objective To investigate the efficacy of intra-articular injection of medical ozone or sodium hyaluronate in the treatment of patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods Eighty-two patients with knee osteoarthritis were randomly divided into O3 group (42 patients) and SH group (40 patients) . Patients in O3 group and SH group were received 25 μg/ml medical ozone 10 ml or sodium hyaluronate 10 mg respectively, once a week, for 4 consecutive weeks. The VAS and Lysholm joint function score were observed before and at 3 months after the treatment. Results Compared with SH group (VAS 4.5±2.3, Lysholm 30.2±4.5) , VAS was significantly lower (2.6±0.9) and Lysholm joint function was significantly higher (39.3±6.4) in O3 group. The rate of excellent and good effect in O3 group (80.9%, 34/42 cases) was superior to that in SH group (62.5%, 25/40 cases) with significant difference (P<0.05) . Conclusion Intra-articular injection of medical ozone is an effective method in the treatment of patients with knee osteoarthritis, which is better than the effect of intra-articular sodium hyaluronate. Key words: Medical ozone; Injections, intra-articular; Osteoarthritis, knee