Effects of intra-articular versus peri-articular dextrose prolotherapy in knee osteoarthritis: A clinical trial study
2 Shiraz Medical School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
3 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Shiraz Medical School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS), Shiraz, Iran
4 Specialist in Internal Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
5 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran DOI : 10.5606/tftrd.2024.12937 Objectives: This study aims to compare the effectiveness of two different approaches of novel dextrose prolotherapy (DPT) including intra-articular and peri-articular techniques in participants with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) without effusion.
Patients and methods: Between August 2018 and November 2018, a total of 51 participants with KOA without effusion were randomly assigned to two groups as the intra-articular prolotherapy group (Group A, n=27) and peri-articular prolotherapy group (Group B, n=24). Treatment was administered two times with two-week interval. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC), and Oxford Knee Scale (OKS) questionnaires were filled at baseline, four and eight weeks after the first injection.
Results: At four and eight weeks, the mean VAS, OKS, and WOMAC scores improved from baseline in both groups (p<0.001). The mean WOMAC and OKS scores showed no significant difference between the two methods. The mean VAS score showed superiority of the intra-articular method (p <0.05).
Conclusion: Both peri-articular and intra-articular DPT were effective in patients with KOA. There was no superiority in terms of functional improvement between the two groups. However, intra-articular prolotherapy was more effective in decreasing pain in such patients.
Keywords : Intra-articular injection; knee; osteoarthritis; prolotherapy