Platelet-rich plasma injections for knee arthritis are gaining acceptance
This summer during the European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) annual meeting, a consensus was reached on recommendations for platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections in knee osteoarthritis. The recommendations include:
Intra-articular injections of PRP are an efficient treatment of early or moderate symptomatic knee osteoarthritis and may be useful in severe knee osteoarthritis.
PRP injections should be proposed as second-line therapy, after failure of non-pharmacological and pharmacological symptomatic treatment.
PRP injections should not be performed in osteoarthritis flare-up with significant effusion.
Leukocyte-poor PRP is preferred for knee osteoarthritis treatment and PRP should not be mixed with injectable anesthetic or corticosteroid.
In a separate presentation at this same meeting, Dr. Raeissadat, MD, from Iran presented a study comparing PRP, hyaluronic acid injections, plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF), and ozone injections in 200 patients with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis. His findings were that only patients in the PRP or PRGF groups had improved symptoms at 12 months.
PRP injections are becoming more widely available. If you are interested in discussing if PRP is right for you, please click on “Make an Appointment” above.
AB0862 (2020) Consensus Statement On Intra-Articular Injections Of Platelet-Rich Plasma For The Management Of Knee Osteoarthritis. Florent Eymard, M.D. 2020 EULAR E-Congress
AB0878 (2020) The Comparison Effects Of Intra-Articular Injection Of Platelet Rich Plasma, Plasma Rich In Growth Factor, Hyaluronic Acid, And Ozone In Knee Osteoarthritis; A One Year Randomized Clinical Trial. Seyed Ahmad Raeissadat, M.D. 2020 EULAR E-Congress