PRP – Any Good For Pain? (written by Biloine Young @ OTW)
Doctors have been using platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for years to promote healing after surgery. But is PRP any good for pain? Doctors at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, are trying to find out if PRP can relieve knee pain in patients with mild to moderate osteoarthritis. PRP contains growth factors that promote cell proliferation and is prepared from the patient’s own blood and tissue.
PRP has received popular attention because of its recent use treating injuries in professional athletes. No one is sure that the treatment is effective.
“There have been few controlled clinical trials, and results are inconsistent, but data so far suggests that it could be a promising treatment for healing in a variety of tissues,” said Dr. Brian Cole, orthopedic surgeon, head of the cartilage restoration center at Rush and head team physician for the Chicago Bulls.
The therapy will not be a cure for osteoarthritis, but it could help put off the day when a patient will need to get a knee implant.
The standard of care, at present, is either corticosteroid injections, which may provide relief for about three months, or synthetic lubricants containing hyaluronic acid, which can last for up to a year.
In the double-blind, randomized, controlled study, 100 patients will receive either hyaluronic acid or PRP prepared from 10 millimeters of the patient’s own blood. The blood will be spun in a centrifuge to separate the platelets from the red and white blood cells and then injected into the knee joint using ultrasound imaging to guide placement.
Patients will receive three injections over three weeks and, in periodic clinical exams, will be monitored for two years. In addition, a teaspoon-size sample will be taken of the synovial fluid around the knee joint to test for molecular changes that may indicate a shift in the balance of anabolic factors that increase the buildup of tissue and catabolic factors that break it down. An imbalance in these factors has been implicated in the deterioration of cartilage that leads to osteoarthritis.
Rush is a not-for-profit academic medical center comprising Rush University Medical Center, Rush University, Rush Oak Park Hospital and Rush Health.