Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is considered the most common disease affecting knee joint. Various strategies are utilized to decrease the symptoms of knee OA, like analgesics, physiotherapy, intra-articular glucocorticoids and hyaluronic acid [HA] injection as well as arthroscopic debridement (AD). New ‌studies have concentrated on new lines of treatment that stimulate damage improving and healing process of the cartilage, including mainly platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection as a growth factors complex.
Aim: Because of the high incidence of OA and its complications, this article aimed to study the effect of AD and PRP injection on patients with knee OA.
Methods: This controlled randomized clinical trial involved 20 patients with moderate knee OA. In the PRP group (n = 10), three intra-articular injections at 10-days interval were applied and compared to AD group (n = 10). All patients were prospectively evaluated before and after 6 months of the treatment by KOOS score.
Results: After at least 6-months follow-up, KOOS score was significantly improved in PRP group compared to the AD group (P < 0.05). All parameters were improved in the PRP group.
Conclusion: The study suggested that injection of PRP is more effective toward reducing pain and symptoms, with improvement of the daily living function, quality of life and function in sport and recreation. PRP is a method of choice in patients with mild to moderate knee OA, whom not responding to classical treatment options.