THE VARYING CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS OF SINGLE, THREE, AND FIVE INTRAARTICULAR INJECTIONS OF PLATELET-RICH PLASMA IN KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, one of the most common causes of pain and functional impairment, often leads to investigation of treatments such as platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections. Finding the ideal injection schedule is still difficult, however. In patients with OA, this research compared the clinical effectiveness of one, three, and five intraarticular PRP injections. This randomized controlled trial involved 88 patients with grade II-III knee OA and was carried out over two years at Div. Headquarters Hospital in AJK. The patients were divided into three groups: Group A received a single PRP injection (n = 29), Group B received three PRP injections (n = 30), and Group C received five PRP injections (n = 29). The ‘Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain’, and the cartilage thickness measured by ultrasonography at baseline, one, three, and six months after treatment were among the outcome measures. The ‘WOMAC, VAS, and KOOS scores’ showed significant increases in all groups, with Group C showing the largest changes. In comparison to Groups A and B, Group C had a significant increase in cartilage thickness and the most noticeable improvement in ‘WOMAC, VAS, and KOOS ratings’ at six months (p<0.001). There were no negative consequences noted. To sum up, when it comes to knee OA, numerous intraarticular PRP injections are better for clinical results than a single injection; the maximum effect is shown with five injections. The use of many PRP injections to maximize knee OA therapeutic effectiveness is supported by these data.