Comparative study of clinical and functional outcome of treatment of mild to moderate osteoarthritis of knee joint between intra articular platelet rich plasma and Hyaluronic acid injection

Aim: To compare the clinical and functional outcomes of treatment of mild to moderate osteoarthritis of knee joint by using intra-articular platelet-rich plasma injection versus hyaluronic acid injection. Methods: Total of 60 patients with grade 0 to grade 2 osteoarthritis were included in the study, of which 30 were treated with intra-articular PRP and the other 30 with intra-articular HA. Patients was evaluated before and after the procedure using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) at 6, 12, 24 weeks respectively.Results: Both groups had clinical improvement but excellent results were seen in the group of patients receiving platelet-rich plasma injections indicated by their VAS and WOMAC scores at 6, 12 week and 24 week follow-up. No severe adverse effects were observed in both the groups. Conclusions: Our comparative study analyzed that application of autologous Platelet rich plasma is a safe and effective method in the treatment of mild to moderate stages of knee osteoarthritis. Significant better results was seen with 6 months of follow-up compared to hyaluronic acid. Moreover platelet rich plasma is cost effective than hyaluronic acid injection.