Formerly reserved for high-level athletes, the injection of platelet-rich plasma has entered the therapeutic arsenal in the fight against osteoarthritis. This type of treatment consists of inject platelets from the patient’s blood into the joint prone to osteoarthritis. The goal is to use the regenerative properties of platelet-rich plasma to fight pain and preserve joint cartilage.
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Unfortunately, scientific evidence is lacking as to the effectiveness of this technique. This is evidenced by a new scientific study, published on November 23 in JAMA (Source 1). Australian researchers report observing that injections of platelet rich plasma (PRP) would only no better than a placebo for relieving the pain of people with osteoarthritis of the knee, or knee osteoarthritis.
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The study consisted of comparing the painful feelings of 288 adults aged 50 and over, divided into two groups of 144 people. One received three injections of PRP every three weeks, while the other group, or control group, received three injections of an inactive product or placebo, in this case saline, at the same frequency. A 12-month follow-up was then undertaken to collect the painful feelings of the patients.
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Verdict: Participants from both groups reported the same improvements in their knee pain. In addition, no difference between the two groups was observed at the joint level, following the realization of MRI.
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“We conducted the study because there is currently little substantiated evidence as to whether injections of platelet-rich plasma have benefits for people with painful osteoarthritis of the knee. Our results do not support the use of platelet rich plasma for people with mild to moderate osteoarthritis of the knee.”, Concluded Prof. Kim Bennell, lead author of the study (Source 2).
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Rather than embarking on a expensive treatment such as PRP injections, the researcher advises people suffering from knee osteoarthritis instead to take care to maintain a healthy lifestyle and sufficient physical activity, or even lose weight if they are overweight, to improve their quality of life.
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