Introduction:

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a linear polymer with high molecular weight that is found in great abundance in the synovial fluid and provides it with its viscoelastic properties. Viscosupplementation consists in the intrarticular administration of injections of viscoelastic hyaluronate solutions to restore the elastic and viscous properties of the synovial fluid and thus repair the altered homeostasis in different pathological structures such as the osteoarthritic joint.

Objective:

The purpose of this review is to know the efficacy of treatment with intrarticular administration of hyaluronic acid in joint diseases.

Methods:

A systematic review of the bibliography was carried out in the databases Medline, Scopus and PubMed, during the months of February and March 2018. The search terms used were Hyaluronic Acid and Joint Diseases. We obtained 2414 results and selected 12 articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Results:

Of the 12 articles selected, eight are prospective studies, 3 are clinical trials and 1 is an observational study. Most of them aimed at assessing the effectiveness of AH in pain and functionality in different diseases such as osteoarthritis of the knee (OA), hip, ankle or temporomandibular joint (TMJ), the femoroacetabular shock syndrome and in both wrist and knee arthroscopy.

Conclusions:

Intrarticular injections of AH seem to be a beneficial treatment to relieve pain and improve functionality in different joint diseases, but these effects are not permanent. It would be interesting to conduct future controlled research in order to determine the most appropriate doses and molecular weights, and also to observe the long-term effects.

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