Which pharmacologic option is delivered intra-articularly for knee OA management?

Which pharmacologic option is delivered intra-articularly for knee OA management?

• A. Topical NSAIDs
• B. Oral NSAIDs
• C. Acetaminophen
• D. Intra-articular glucocorticoid injection

Answer: (D)

Delivering a drug intra-articularly means injecting it directly into the knee joint to act locally. In knee osteoarthritis, glucocorticoids injected into the joint provide rapid, short-term relief of inflammation and pain, with effects lasting weeks to a few months. The other options are not delivered into the joint: topical NSAIDs act on the skin, while oral NSAIDs and acetaminophen are taken systemically. Hyaluronic acid is another intra-articular option, but it’s not listed here. So the intra-articular glucocorticoid injection is the go-to intra-articular choice in this set.

Delivering a drug intra-articularly means injecting it directly into the knee joint to act locally. In knee osteoarthritis, glucocorticoids injected into the joint provide rapid, short-term relief of inflammation and pain, with effects lasting weeks to a few months. The other options are not delivered into the joint: topical NSAIDs act on the skin, while oral NSAIDs and acetaminophen are taken systemically. Hyaluronic acid is another intra-articular option, but it’s not listed here. So the intra-articular glucocorticoid injection is the go-to intra-articular choice in this set.