For more than a year I have had a painful knee, caused by too long a walk. It still has moisture in it. I was advised to have an injection with hyaluronic acid. What do you think of that?
Joris Bartstra, journalist with a medical degree.
I would not do it. Hyaluronic acid is a substance that occurs naturally in the body and that attracts moisture to itself. Much research has been done on the effect of hyaluronic acid on early forms of osteoarthritis of the knee. The result of this is that the effect is considered unproven. This means that you may benefit from it, but if you compare large groups of patients, there is no benefit. This treatment is therefore not recommended in the rheumatology guidelines and the health insurer does not reimburse it. I think you probably have a meniscus injury. Your knee may deteriorate further and require knee replacement surgery. It is also possible that the thickening of the knee decreases over time. Exercises that strengthen the muscles of the thigh are important for this. I would therefore start with a visit to a physiotherapist.
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