According to a study published in the ‘British Medical Journal (BMJ)’, the benefits of injections used for knee treatment in individuals suffering from osteoarthritis were clinically insignificant. The specialists claimed that the injections were as good as a placebo and if they were administered in excess, could lead to an increased risk of adverse events. Viscosupplementation is a procedure used for treating osteoarthritis in which the thick fluid called hyaluronate is injected into the knee joints.

The study included a subset of 24 large trials of high methodological quality involving 8,900 randomized patients. They found that viscosupplementation was associated with a small reduction in pain compared to placebo. The research also found that 6,462 patients involved in 15 large trials had a 49% higher risk of serious adverse events caused by viscosupplementation in comparison to placebo.

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/think-before-you-take-that-shot-injections-for-knee-pain-as-good-as-placebo-finds-study/92942801 )