The Efficacy and Safety of a Single-Dose Hyaluronic Acid Injection in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis

Inclusion Criteria: * Participants who have provided written informed consent. * Male and female participants aged 40 to 70. * Bilateral or unilateral, painful, primary knee osteoarthritis. * Knee pain lasting at least 4 weeks while standing, walking, and/or moving, and the presence of at least one of the following features on an X-ray taken within the last 3 months: tibiofemoral osteophytes, femoral or tibial endplate osteosclerosis, or narrowing of the joint space (Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2-3). * Baseline Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) Pain Score (sum of five 100-mm components) between 200 and 400 mm. * Individuals deemed by the investigator to be able to adhere to the visit schedule. * Discontinuation of all NSAIDs, corticosteroids, and other pain relievers, including over-the-counter medications, herbal treatments, or chondroprotective agents prior to injection, and no use of these during the study follow-up period (except for acetaminophen). * Patients who have not received another intra-articular injection in the knee or participated in a physical therapy program during the follow-up period. Exclusion Criteria: * Participants hospitalized in the hospital. * Participants with inflammatory knee conditions other than OA (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, chronic hemochromatosis, sickle cell anemia, and/or chondrocalcinosis, as well as arthropathies associated with systemic diseases such as gout and hemophilia, and infectious joint disease). …