Platelet-rich plasma no better than placebo for pain relief in knee osteoarthritis: JAMA

Australia: Kim L. Bennell and team conducted a new study that shows that intra-articular injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) vs saline placebo did not result in a meaningful improvement in symptoms or joint structure at 12 months in adults with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis (OA). The findings of this study were published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA). 

Most clinical recommendations do not suggest PRP for knee OA because of a lack of high-quality data on effectiveness for symptoms and joint structure, although they do highlight the need for robust research. Despite this, the use of PRP in knee OA is on the rise. Therefore this study was conducted with the objective to see how intra-articular PRP injections affected symptoms and joint structure in individuals with symptomatic mild to moderate radiographic medial knee OA.

The trial was a randomized, two-group, placebo-controlled study in which the participant, injector, and assessor were all blinded. From August 24, 2017, to July 5, 2019, this clinical research included community-based individuals (n = 288) with symptomatic medial knee OA (Kellgren and Lawrence grade 2 or 3) in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. The 12-month follow-up ended on July 22, 2020. The intervention program included three weekly intra-articular injections of either leukocyte-poor PRP from a commercially available product (n = 144 participants) or saline placebo (n = 144 participants).