Taking a daily pill of hyaluronic acid for a year doesn't seem to help people with knee arthritis avoid needing more pain meds or shots in the knee, compared to taking a sugar pill.

54

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

54

Community contributions welcome

54

Oral Administration of Polymer Hyaluronic Acid Alleviates Symptoms of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study over a 12-Month Period

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2012

The study gave people the same pill as the claim, but it only checked if their knee pain got better, not if they needed fewer painkillers or shots. So we don’t know if the pill reduced the need for other treatments.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Oral Administration of Polymer Hyaluronic Acid Alleviates Symptoms of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study over a 12-Month Period

Score: 54

DOI: 10.1100/2012/167928

Similar Assertions

For older adults over 70 with knee arthritis, taking a daily hyaluronic acid pill and doing leg exercises didn’t make their knee pain or stiffness any better than taking a sugar pill over a year.

0

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A study found that older Japanese adults with knee arthritis who took a specific type of hyaluronic acid pill and did daily thigh exercises felt better in their daily activities for the first 4 months, but the improvement went away after that—and people over 70 didn’t benefit at all.

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0

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Taking this supplement might make your joint pain better and help you move easier after 6 weeks, but it only clearly beats a fake pill (placebo) after 12 weeks.

69

0

73%

Taking a daily pill of hyaluronic acid for a year doesn't seem to slow down the worsening of knee arthritis on X-rays, no matter how old you are or which group you were in during the study.

0

70%