The effectiveness of intra-articular injectionc of Hyalubrix combined with exercise therapy in the tratment of hip osteoarthritis

Purpose. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common jointdisorder in the elderly, causing significant pain whichnegatively affects mobility and quality ol liie. The aim ofthe study was to assess the effectiveness of ultrasoundÍmage-guided intra-articular injections of Hyalubrix@ combinedwith exercise therapy in the treatment of hip osteoarthritis.Methods. This was a single site, prospèctive, open-fabel,Investigator-initiated study. Forty patients rilere enrolledand received three ultrasound image.guided injectionsof Hyalubrix@, 45 days apart, combined with three sessionsa week of physícal therapy (proprioceptive rehabilitationof the lower limbs; gait training; balance training)up to a total of 30 sessions (10 weeks), starting from oneweek after the first injection.Results. The primary obiective was to achieve a lastingreduction in OA symptoms related to pain during activity.During the course of the study the pain perceived bythe patient during activity dropped from a mean value of6.94 cm to a mean value of 1.46 cm and showed a statisticallysignificant decrease from visit 1 compared tobaseline (p < 0.05) which was confirmed at all the subsequenttime points. Significant improvements were alsoobserved in the evaluation of the secondary objectives:hip disability; OA-related pain at rest; daily functioningand NSAIDs intake.Conclusions. Results from this study including 40 patientsfor a total of 65 treated hips demonstrate a significant improvement in OA-related pain, hip disability, andpatient's daily functioning as well as a reduction inNSAIDS intake. Patients suffering from hip OA sèem tobenefil from the treatment wiih Hyalubrix@ injectionsplus exercise therapy.