Global trends and hotspots of intra-articular hyaluronic acid therapy for knee osteoarthritis

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) imposes a substantial global socioeconomic burden. Intra-articular hyaluronic acid (IAHA) injections are widely used as part of conservative management strategies for KOA; however, their clinical application and underlying mechanisms remain topics of ongoing research and debate. Methods: A bibliometric analysis of publications related to IAHA for KOA from 2015 to 2025 was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection, with data retrieved on November 15, 2025. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and the bibliometrix R package were used to analyze publication trends, collaborative networks, keyword co-occurrence, and emerging research themes. Results: A total of 980 publications were included. The annual number of publications showed an overall increasing trend over the past decade, with China and the United States contributing the highest publication output. Keyword co-occurrence and burst analyses indicated growing research interest in regenerative medicine-related topics, particularly mesenchymal stem cells, platelet-rich plasma, and combination-based therapeutic approaches. Collaborative network analyses also demonstrated increasing international research activity, although cross-regional cooperation remained relatively limited. Conclusion: Research on IAHA for KOA has expanded steadily over the past decade, with increasing attention directed toward regenerative and combination-based therapeutic strategies. Current bibliometric findings suggest evolving academic interest in mechanistic exploration and multimodal treatment approaches, while highlighting the need for further high-quality collaborative studies in this field.