To determine the frequency of reduction of pain in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis by using combination injections.
The experimental study was conducted from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2016,at Al-Noor Surgery Hospital, Chakwal, Pakistan, and comprised patients suffering from symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. All patients were injected intra-articularly and peri-articularily with a combination of streptomycin, kenacort and lidocaine. The effects of this injection were recorded immediately after injection, after a month and after a year. Data was analyzed using SPSS 21.
Of the 169 patients, there were 70(41.40%) males and 99(58.60%) females. The overall mean age and pain duration was 59.27±7.79 years and10.5±5.1 years respectively. No patient had pain immediately after the injection and after a month of follow-up. After a year, 145(86%) had a complete loss of pain compared to the baseline. Three (1.77%) patients required repetition of injection after a year. None of the patients suffered from septic arthritis or localised flare-ups and no one opted for knee joint arthoplasty.
Combination of streptomycin, low-dose corticosteroids and lidocaine hadimmediate and prolonged effect in reducing pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis.