Knee Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common sources of joint pain in older adults, and can have a huge negative impact on a person’s quality of life. Coupled with the recent pandemic, wait times for surgeries have increased with many individuals having to wait months and even years before getting a joint replacement surgery.

Traditionally, conservative treatments have included weight loss, NSAIDs, and physiotherapy to help manage pain and maintain function. More recently, intra-articular injections have been shown to have long term beneficial effects for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Two of the most common are platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and hyaluronic acid (HA) injections.

Hyaluronic acid injections, known more commonly as synovial joint injections or joint lubricant injections, work by coating the joint surface with a low friction viscous material. This will help reduce rubbing and irritation of the joint, which will prevent inflammation and pain. Studies have also shown that HA injections may also act to stimulate the body’s own cells to produce more of its own joint lubrication.

PRP is produced by centrifuging the patient’s own blood so that platelets will congregate into the bottom. This high concentration of platelets is then re-injected back into the knee joint, where the platelets act to enhance tissue healing and reduce the inflammatory processes that underlie the progression of osteoarthritis.

So between hyaluronic acid injections and PRP injections, which one should you get? Both injections are considered very safe, as hyaluronic acid itself is an inert substance and PRP is your own blood. PRP is a relatively newer injection compared to hyaluronic acid and thus has less clinical research. However, a recent meta-analysis by Wu et. al. (2019) in the Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery showed that while both PRP and HA are effective in treating knee osteoarthritis, PRP appears to be better at achieving pain relief and self-reported functional improvements.

Overall, studies have noted that the benefits of these injections are more noticeable when paired in conjunction with physiotherapy. If you are suffering from knee arthritis, our physiotherapists at Peak Form Physiotherapy are here to help you on your journey to less pain and improved function. Contact us today to book an assessment