## 3 Results  
With regard to demographic data, of the 37 patients, 23 were female (62.2%) and 14 were male (37.8%); patients were aged 45 to 75, with an average age of 63.51 \(\pm\) 8.15. Of the 37 patients, 16 (43.2%) had a KOA involving the left knee, while 21 (56.8%) had a KOA involving the right knee. The compartment most affected was the medial (78.4%) compared to the lateral (21.6%). In total, 13 (35.1%) had a grade I KOA according to Kellgren-Lawrence classification, while 24 (64.9%) had a grade II KOA. The average BMI of the patients included was 32.08 \(\pm\) 2.57. Six (16.2%) patients were overweight, while the remaining 31 (83.8%) were obese. Among these, 25 (80.6%) had class I obesity, five (16.1%) had class II obesity, and only one (3.3%) had class III obesity.  
Table 1 and Figure 1 show the test results for the three primary variables. A statistically significant (\(p\) < 0.01) improvement in cardiorespiratory capacity as measured by distance covered in a 6 MWT was observed post treatment, from a mean of 164.3 \(\pm\) 52.9 m at T0 to a mean of 254.9 \(\pm\) 52.6 m at T1. A significant reduction (\(p\) < 0.01) in disease severity assessed by WOMAC was also observed at T1; median WOMAC was 56 before treatment, plummeting to 26 after viscosupplemention. Thirdly, a reduction in pain severity as assessed via VAS was recorded, from a mean score of 8 at T0 to a mean score of 5 at T1; this was also found to be statistically significant (\(p\) < 0.01).  
Table 2 shows the test results for the four secondary variables. Quality of life as self-reported via SF-12 displayed a statistically significant improvement (\(p\) < 0.05), from a mean of 25 at T0 to a mean of 28 at T1. Regarding the results of bioelectrical impedance analysis, although a mild increase in the percentage of lean mass and a parallel decrease in  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline \hline  & **T0** & **T1** & \(p\)**-Value** \\ \hline Distance (mean \(\pm\) SD) & 164.3 \(\pm\) 52.9 & 254.9 \(\pm\) 52.6 & \textless{}0.01 \\ WOMAC & & & \\ (median (IQR)) & 56 (16) & 26 (12) & \textless{}0.01 \\ VAS(median & & & \\ (IQR)) & 8 (1) & 5 (1) & \textless{}0.01 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} Legend: T0: baseline timepoint; T1: timepoint 3 months after treatment; SD: standard deviation; WOMAC: Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index; VAS: Visual Analog Scale.  
\end{table}
Table 1: Analyses of primary variables.  
fat mass were recorded, they were not found to be statistically significant (\(p\) = 0.62 and 0.54, respectively). However, a statistically significant difference (\(p\) < 0.01) was observed in the use of analgesics pre and post treatment. Indeed, before treatment almost half of the patients took analgesics more than twice a week (48.6%), whereas, after HA viscosupplementation, no patients (0%) still required analgesics more than twice a week, and almost half of the patients only took analgesics 1-2 times a week (43.2%). Interestingly, before treatment, 0% of patients took no analgesics, while this percentage rocketed to 56.8% post treatment.  
Regarding safety, the treatment was well tolerated, and no serious adverse effects were reported by the patients during the study period.