Ozone Therapy versus Hyaluronic Acid Injections for Pain Relief in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: Preliminary Findings on Molecular and Clinical Outcomes from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Ozone therapy (OT) is used for the treatment of multiple musculoskeletal disorders. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in its use for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of this double-blind randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the efficacy of OT compared with hyaluronic acid (HA) injections for pain relief in patients with knee OA. Patients with knee OA for at least three months were included and randomly assigned to receive three intra-articular injections of ozone or HA (once a week). Patients were assessed at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months after the injections for pain, stiffness, and function using the WOMAC LK 3.1, the NRS, and the KOOS questionnaire. Out of 55 patients assessed for eligibility, 52 participants were admitted to the study and randomly assigned into the 2 groups of treatment. During the study, eight patients dropped out. Thus, a total of 44 patients, reached the endpoint of the study at 6 months. Both Group A and B consisted of 22 patients. At 1-month follow-up after injections, both treatment groups improved statistically significantly from baseline in all outcomes measured. At 3 months, improvements remained similarly consistent for Group A and Group B. At 6-month follow-up, the outcomes were comparable between the 2 groups, showing only a worsening trend in pain. No significant differences were found between the two groups in pain scores. Both therapies have proven to be safe, with the few recorded adverse events being mild and self-limiting. OT has demonstrated similar results to HA injections, proving to be a safe approach with significant effects on pain control in patients affected by knee OA. Due to its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, ozone might be considered as a potential treatment for OA.

Keywords: hyaluronic acid; intra-articular injections; knee osteoarthritis; osteoarthritis; ozone; ozone treatment.

Figure 1

PRISMA Flow Diagram.

Figure 2

Intra-group analysis of the WOMAC LK 3.1 pain subscale score (A), NRS (B), WOMAC total score (C), and KOOS (D) in the groups of ozone (A) and HA (B). On the X axis are the above outcome measures; on the Y axis are the time intervals of the study: baseline (T0), 1 month (T1), 3 months (T3), and 6 months (T6) after treatment. Abbreviations: WOMAC: Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index; KOOS: Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score; NRS: Numeric Rating Scale.