48 patients scheduled for arthroscopic knee surgery were randomized to receive a sodium hyaluronate or bupivacaine injection immediately following the procedure. Pain, function, and health-related quality of life were evaluated over a 6-week follow-up period. The results of this study indicated that sodium hyaluronate injections significantly reduced pain on weight-bearing and analgesic consumption at 3 and 6 weeks when compared to bupivacaine injections. Additionally, sodium hyaluronate injections improved Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores at 3 and 6 weeks, and 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) scores at 6 weeks in comparison to the bupivacaine injections.