Effectiveness of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) in Pain Management of Knee Osteoarthritis

Abstract

Objectives: To determine mean change in pain score in patients with knee osteoarthritis after intra-articular injection of platelet-rich plasma.

Methodology: A quasi experimental study was conducted at the departments of Hematology and Pain Management clinic at Shifa International Hospital Islamabad from 22nd December 2019 to 23 January 2022. A total of 52 patients diagnosed with Osteoarthritis Knee joints, 50 to 70 years of age were included. All patients received intra-articular injection of 5 ml PRP into the affected knee joint. Pain was calculated through Visual Analog Scale (VAS) using numerical scale from 0 to 10 and was measured prior to treatment at 3 and 6 months

Results In this study, at baseline, mean pain score was 6.90 ± 1.47 and at 6 months, mean pain score was 1.48 ± 0.89 with p-value of 0.0001. PRP injection in the intra-articular joint was effective in pain management in the early osteoarthritis with an average variation in the level of pain of 5.54 ± 1.55, indicating a substantial improvement following PRP therapy.

 Conclusion: Intra-articular injections of platelet-rich plasma are important in reducing pain in patients with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis and represent an effective therapeutic option for early disease management.

Keywords: Intra-articular injection; Osteoarthritis; Platelet-rich plasma