Comparison between treatments of osteoarthritic knee pain with intra-articular injection of platelet-rich plasma versus hyaluronic acid.

Abstract

Objective: To compare the mean pain alleviation and mean improvement in physical function of intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid (HA) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for osteoarthritic knee pain. Study Design: Randomized Controlled Trial. Setting: Department of Orthopaedics & Spine Surgery, Rai Medical College & Teaching Hospital and Bajwa Trauma Centre & Teaching Hospital, Sargodha. Period: 1^st May 2024 to 30th November 2024 (6 Months). Methods: Following informed permission and institutional ethical committee approval, 314 patients between the ages of 40 and 80 who met the inclusion criteria and presented with osteoarthritic knee pain were enrolled. At baseline, treatment weeks two and three, and post-treatment weeks six, twelve, and twenty-four, patients were clinically assessed using both subjective and objective evaluations using VAS and WOMAC. SPSS version 23 was used to analyze the data. Results: Group 1 (PRP) patients had a mean age of 61.72 ± 9.14 years, as compared to group 2 (HA), 62.87 ± 8.47 years. Of 314 patients, 187 (59.55%) were female and 127 (40.45%) were male. Mean pain reduction (VAS score) in the PRP group was 4.84 ± 1.23, while in the HA group it was 2.76 ± 1.17 (p = 0.0001). The mean decrease in WOMAC score in the PRP group was 50.57 ± 11.22, whereas in the HA group it was 27.80 ± 7.93 (p = 0.0001). Conclusion: When treating osteoarthritic knee pain, intra-articular injections of platelet-rich plasma offer better pain relief and functional improvement than hyaluronic acid.