Objectives: The administration of platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which increases the release of growth factors targeting cartilage regeneration, is used in an effort to relieve pain in knee osteoarthritis (OA). This study measured the short-term efficacy of PRP on chronic pain in patients with OA of the knee.
Methods: Patients with chronic knee pain and grade 2-4 knee OA based on the Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) classification were enrolled in the study. A total of 60 knee joints of 42 patients who completed 3 doses of intraarticular PRP injections administered at intervals of 3 weeks were analyzed. The patients' pain was evaluated using a resting and activity visual analog scale (VAS) on day 0, and at week 3, 6, and 12.
Results: Of the 42 patients, 37 were female. The mean age and body mass index was 60.52+-10.41 years and 28.5+-9.71 kg/m2. A total of 18 patients had bilateral knee involvement, and 39 of the 60 knee joints were classified as K-L grade 3-4 OA. A significant improvement was observed in the mean resting and activity VAS scores at day 0 and week 12 (p<0.05). In K-L grade 2 patients, the day 0 and week 3 resting and activity VAS scores were significantly better than the grade 3-4 scores (p<0.05).
Conclusion: It was observed that PRP injections provided a meaningful improvement in chronic knee pain in patients with knee OA throughout a 12-week period. The pain reduction response to PRP was better in patients with early-stage knee OA.