Viscosupplementation: a new treatment option for osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA), a degenerative joint disease affecting articular cartilage and synovial joint fluid, is the most common of the rheumatic diseases. OA is a huge public health issue that diminishes the quality of life of millions in the United States. Current treatments for OA include physical therapy, antiinflammatories, narcotics, steroids, and surgery. Unfortunately there is currently no cure for OA and many of the effective treatment modalities have many harsh side effects. Quite recently patients suffering from OA had little alternative to total joint replacement surgery once they exhausted their allotment of steroid injections and started to experience the GI complications associated with traditional NSAIDs. The introduction of viscosupplements, injectable compounds that mimic healthy synovial fluid and often relieve the suffering caused OA, has given patients with OA a longer-term, nonsurgical treatment alternative.