Ultrasound-guided hyaluronic acid injection for ankle osteoarthritis and osteochondral lesions of the talus: A retrospective clinical series.
TL;DR
Ultrasound-guided HA injection provided meaningful short-term pain relief and delayed further intervention in a substantial proportion of patients, supporting its role as a bridge treatment for ankle OA and OLT.
Abstract
Background
Evidence supporting hyaluronic acid (HA) injections for ankle osteoarthritis (OA) and osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) remains limited.
Purpose
To evaluate pain relief and clinically relevant outcomes following ultrasound-guided intra-articular HA injection.
Methods
A retrospective study included 44 ankles treated with ultrasound-guided HA injection between 2020 and 2023. Pain was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS) at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Secondary outcomes included minimal clinically important difference (MCID) responder rates and Kaplan-Meier analysis of time free from additional interventions.
Results
Mean VAS improved from 7.95 ± 1.12 at baseline to 5.52 ± 2.27 at 3 months and 6.68 ± 2.03 at 6 months (p < 0.05). MCID responder rates were 65.9% and 36.4% at 3 and 6 months, respectively. Nineteen ankles (43.2%) underwent an additional intervention. Median time free from repeat HA injection or surgery was 24 months.
Conclusion
Ultrasound-guided HA injection provided meaningful short-term pain relief and delayed further intervention in a substantial proportion of patients, supporting its role as a bridge treatment for ankle OA and OLT.