Effectiveness of therapeutic exercise and platelet-rich plasma in the case of knee osteoarthritis.
Christina Foi, Charalampos Matzaroglou, Georgios Vlachopoulos and 1 others
PMID 40599831WHAT IT FOUND
In mild knee OA, adding one PRP injection to supervised exercise gave better pain and function scores than exercise alone at eight weeks.
The study was small and reported results only at eight weeks.
Key findings
01After eight weeks, the intervention group had statistically better WOMAC scores and better KOOS pain, symptoms, and ADL scores than the control group.
02At baseline, the control and intervention groups had no significant differences in KOOS or WOMAC scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study had 76 patients, and the authors say the small sample may have reduced statistical power. The reported comparison was after eight weeks, so long-term benefit is unknown. The paper does not describe randomisation or blinding, so assignment and expectations are unclear. Exercise compliance may have influenced results, and the paper does not report how many patients completed the program. All participants were Caucasian and recruited from a private clinic, which may limit generalisability. The PRP preparation was not classified, so effects cannot be linked to a specific PRP type.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that PRP injections alone are effective. Both groups received the same supervised exercise and home exercise program, and the study compared exercise alone with exercise plus one PRP injection.