Statistical analysis
SPSS 23.0 software was used for the statistical analysis. Outcome measures were analyzed based on the intention-to-treat population. Data are reported as means ± SEM. An unpaired t-test was used to assess efficacy before and after injection, and a one-way analysis of variances was used for the comparison in three groups. Two-tailed Mann-Whitney tests were used for those with unequal sample sizes and outcome measures that were not normally distributed. To identify clinical function changes between baseline and 1, 4, 8, 12, and 48 weeks follow-up for self-reported knee scores, the two-way ANOVA was performed. Within-group differences were analyzed per the Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, respectively. Statistical significance was determined at 