The Efficacy of Intra-articular Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection Versus Corticosteroid Injection in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Prospective Comparative Analysis. June 2024.
Knee osteoarthritis is the most common cause of knee pain and physical impairment worldwide. It is also one of the biggest things we see here at our Birmingham knee clinic at Dynamic Osteopaths. This occurs through slow and progressive degeneration of the joint cartilage.
Knee osteoarthritis can be somewhat managed with a variety of therapies, these being conservative physical and manual therapies, injection therapies and surgery. A comparison of the effectiveness of different intra-articular (joint) injections in knee osteoarthritis treatment is still not thoroughly investigated. However, this current study compared the efficacy of joint injection treatment of popular treatments platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and corticosteroids in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.
Treatment options for knee osteoarthritis include lifestyle modifications like weight loss, diet changes, physical therapy, braces, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids, topical cream medication, joint injection treatment, and knee replacement surgery as a last resort.
Joint injection therapy with infiltration of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) uses platelets which reduce the production of inflammatory mediators and enzymes while promoting the growth of cartilage cells, angiogenesis, cartilage shaping, and mesenchymal stem cells. Corticosteroids injection therapy uses comprehensive immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory actions which restrict T and B-cell activities and other inflammatory mechanisms, which reduce inflammatory changes in the joints and improve symptoms of osteoarthritis.
Much of the documented research outlines the efficacy of joint injection therapy in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, but only few studies compared the efficacy of PRP and corticosteroid injections.
It is shown in this and many cases that corticosteroid treatment has instant but brief effects in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis because it reduces the inflammation in joint for the short term. On the other hand PRP aids in the repair of articular cartilage of joint by promoting the growth of chondrocytes (cartilage cells), angiogenesis and cartilage formation. This restoration process takes time and also lasts for a longer period of time which is why PRP shows better improvements in knee osteoarthritis gradually and of prolonged duration. It Is for this reason that we prescribe corticosteroid injections for short term immediate symptomatic relief and PRP for long-term management of knee osteoarthritis at our Birmingham clinics.
This recent comparative study shown that joint injections of both PRP and corticosteroid are effective in the treatment of pain and functional impairment associated with knee osteoarthritis. But there are comparable differences worth acknowledging. Corticosteroid treatment reduced both pain and functional impairment fast but for a lesser time period in contrast to PRP. However, PRP provided better improvements in pain and functional restrictions gradually but for a longer duration in comparison.Furthermore, it was also observed that there were clinical significant differences in pain scores between both groups at each of the three follow-up visits. It was found that during the first-month post-treatment visit, the PRP and corticosteroid groups improved pain and functional improvements similarly, while at the second-month and third-month follow-up appointments, the PRP had better clinical scores. As a result, this is another study suggesting PRP therapy plays a better clinical role in the management of knee osteoarthritis over corticosteroid.
Get in touch to find out more about these knee pain treatments and how they may benefit you.
Dynamic Clinics UK
01564 330773
Keywords:
#KneePainTreatment #OsteoarthritisTreatment #PrpTreatment #Cortizoneinjection #CartlidgeHealth #Birmingham
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