Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23690322›Full record

Trial reportAnnals of family medicine

Dextrose prolotherapy for knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial.

David Rabago, Jeffrey J Patterson, Marlon Mundt, Richard Kijowski, Jessica Grettie, Neil A Segal, Aleksandra Zgierska

Erratum issued 4 registry-linked trialsOpen access · diamondAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Annals of family medicine. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. It is linked to 4 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 65 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
65citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
11.1field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04557943 phase4completednot on this map

The Level of Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein (COMP) and Urinary C-Terminal Telopeptides of Type II Collagen (uCTX-II) After Prolotherapy Intervention and The Functional Outcome in Patient With Knee Osteoarthritis

TypeinterventionalSponsorHasanuddin UniversityRan2019 to 2020Enrolled36ConditionsKnee OsteoarthritisArmsProlotherapy, Sodium Hyaluronate
NCT04941118 phase4unknown statusnot on this map

Evaluation of the Effect of Dextrose Prolotherapy on Pain and Function in Women With Myofascial Pain Syndrome

TypeinterventionalSponsorMustafa Kemal UniversityRan2021 to 2021Enrolled60ConditionsEfficacy of Dextrose Prolotherapy in Myofascial Pain SyndromeArmsInjection of dextrose, local anesthetic and saline to the myofascial trigger point, Local anesthetic and saline injection to the myofascial trigger point
NCT04958213 phase4completednot on this map

Isokinetic Evaluation of the Efficacy of Dextrose Prolotherapy Treatment in Women With Knee Osteoarthritis.

TypeinterventionalSponsorMustafa Kemal UniversityRan2020 to 2021Enrolled60ConditionsKnee Osteoarthritis, Dextrose Prolotherapy Injection, Physical TherapyArmsDextrose prolotherapy injection, conventional physical therapy
NCT07245121 narecruitingnot on this map

Perineural Prolotherapy in Chronic Knee Osteoarthritis Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

TypeinterventionalSponsorNational and Kapodistrian University of AthensRan2025 to 2027Enrolled60ConditionsChronic Pain, Perineural Analgesia, Prolotherapy, Knee OsteoarthritisArmsDextrose 5% and Lidocaine, Lidocaine
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

65 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 183 citations in OpenAlex.

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  19. Cartilage · 2026
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5 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

David RabagoDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin 53715, USA. david.rabago@fammed.wisc.edu
Jeffrey J Patterson
Marlon Mundt
Richard Kijowski
Jessica Grettie
Neil A Segal
Aleksandra Zgierska
University of Wisconsin–Madison · USUniversity of Iowa · US

Funding

The Efficacy of Prolotherapy in Osteoarthritic Knee PainK23AT001879 · NCCIH · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · PI RABAGO, DAVID P · 2004 to 2008
$601k
NCCIH NIH HHS 5K23AT001879-02NCCIH NIH HHS K23 AT001879
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeKnee osteoarthritis is a common, debilitating chronic disease. Prolotherapy is an injection therapy for chronic musculoskeletal pain. We conducted a 3-arm, blinded (injector, assessor, injection group participants), randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of prolotherapy for knee osteoarthritis.

methodsNinety adults with at least 3 months of painful knee osteoarthritis were randomized to blinded injection (dextrose prolotherapy or saline) or at-home exercise. Extra- and intra-articular injections were done at 1, 5, and 9 weeks with as-needed additional treatments at weeks 13 and 17. Exercise participants received an exercise manual and in-person instruction. Outcome measures included a composite score on the Western Ontario McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC; 100 points); knee pain scale (KPS; individual knee), post-procedure opioid medication use, and participant satisfaction. Intention-to-treat analysis using analysis of variance was used.

resultsNo baseline differences existed between groups. All groups reported improved composite WOMAC scores compared with baseline status (P <.01) at 52 weeks. Adjusted for sex, age, and body mass index, WOMAC scores for patients receiving dextrose prolotherapy improved more (P <.05) at 52 weeks than did scores for patients receiving saline and exercise (score change: 15.3 ± 3.5 vs 7.6 ± 3.4, and 8.2 ± 3.3 points, respectively) and exceeded the WOMAC-based minimal clinically important difference. Individual knee pain scores also improved more in the prolotherapy group (P = .05). Use of prescribed postprocedure opioid medication resulted in rapid diminution of injection-related pain. Satisfaction with prolotherapy was high. There were no adverse events.

conclusionsProlotherapy resulted in clinically meaningful sustained improvement of pain, function, and stiffness scores for knee osteoarthritis compared with blinded saline injections and at-home exercises.

Indexed as

Activities of Daily LivingAdultArthralgiaFemaleGlucoseHumansInjections, Intra-ArticularKnee JointMaleMiddle AgedOsteoarthritis, KneePain MeasurementRange of Motion, ArticularSeverity of Illness IndexTreatment OutcomeGlucosedextrosekneeosteoarthritisprolotherapyrandomized controlled trial

Identifiers

PMID23690322
PMCPMC3659139
OpenAlexW1932213429

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.