Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Knee osteoarthritis is a major contributor to disability and reduced quality of life, particularly in ageing populations in upper-middle-income countries where healthcare resources are constrained. Physiotherapy is a cornerstone of conservative management, while intra-articular injections are increasingly used in routine clinical practice. This study aimed to compare patient-reported quality of life outcomes between patients receiving intra-articular injections and those managed with physiotherapy, and to identify factors associated with quality of life among patients with knee osteoarthritis.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between May and July 2024 at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre. A total of 117 patients aged 50 years and above with clinically diagnosed knee osteoarthritis were recruited from using sequential non-probability sampling. Quality of life was measured using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) quality of life subscale. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, body mass index, comorbidities, duration of knee pain, and type of treatment received (intra-articular injections or physiotherapy-based management) were collected. Associations between treatment modality and quality of life outcomes were analysed using SPSS version 28.0.
RESULTS: Patients who received intra-articular injections reported higher quality-of-life scores compared with those managed with physiotherapy alone. Female gender, higher body mass index, and longer duration of knee pain were associated with poorer quality of life outcomes. Lower body mass index, higher educational attainment, and receipt of intra-articular injections were associated with more favourable quality of life scores.
CONCLUSIONS: In this upper-middle-income country setting, intra-articular injections were associated with better patient-reported quality of life outcomes compared with physiotherapy among patients with knee osteoarthritis. While causality cannot be inferred, these findings provide real world evidence relevant to health economics and outcomes research. From a health service perspective, such evidence may inform more efficient allocation of limited healthcare resources by supporting targeted use of minimally invasive interventions alongside physiotherapy in ageing populations.