Viscosupplementation During Rehabilitation

CONTEXT: Viscosupplementation (VS) and physical therapy are both used to treat pain associated with knee osteoarthritis (OA). EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: PubMed and EMBASE searches were performed to July 2013. Search terms included hyaluronic acid OR hylan, physical therapy OR exercise, AND osteoarthritis. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4. RESULTS: The efficacy and safety of VS in painful knee OA is well documented, as are the appropriate candidates for this intervention. Studies suggest that adding VS to physical therapy and therapeutic exercise may lead to improved pain reduction and increased functionality compared with physical therapy alone. CONCLUSION: Appropriately selected patients undergoing physical therapy for knee OA may benefit from VS.