SynthesisBMC musculoskeletal disorders2021
Intra-articular platelet-rich plasma injections versus intra-articular corticosteroid injections for symptomatic management of knee osteoarthritis: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 53 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
53 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 86 citations in OpenAlex.
- A meta-analysis and systematic review of the clinical efficacy and safety of platelet-rich plasma combined with hyaluronic acid (PRP + HA) versus PRP monotherapy for knee osteoarthritis (KOA).Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Pooled it
- Platelet rich plasma injections for knee osteoarthritis: an overview of systematic reviews.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Pooled it
- Platelet-rich plasma versus corticosteroid injections in the management of patients with rotator cuff disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society · 2023Pooled it
- Mesenchymal stem cells and platelet rich plasma therapy for knee osteoarthritis: an umbrella review of systematic reviews with meta-analysis.Annals of Saudi medicinePooled it
- Intra-articular platelet-rich plasma demonstrates superior clinical and serum biomarker outcomes compared with corticosteroids and NSAIDs in late-stage knee osteoarthritis: a randomised controlled trial.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Trial
- Comparison of the short-term effect of intra-articular hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma injections in knee osteoarthritis: a randomized clinical trial.Journal of preventive medicine and hygiene · 2024Trial
- Demonstrating the effectiveness of intra-articular prolotherapy combined with peri-articular perineural injection in knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2024Trial
- Playing by the Rules: A Review of the Modern Regulatory Framework for Regenerative Medicine.Current pain and headache reports · 2026Review
- Review
- Improvements in hip stability and knee muscle strength after a single-dose platelet-rich plasma injection combined with exercise in women with knee osteoarthritis.Irish journal of medical science · 2026Article
- Platelet-Rich Plasma in Chronic Joint Pain: An Autologous Alternative to Steroids.Current pain and headache reports · 2026Review
- Biologics or surgery for moderate knee osteoarthritis? a patient-centered framework for short-term relief and long-term outcomes.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Review
- Osteoarthritis: Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment.MedComm · 2026Review
- The Association Between Platelet Indices and Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Clinical medicine insights. Arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Article
- Platelet-rich plasma in cartilage repair: biological mechanisms and clinical perspectives.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Review
- Platelet-rich plasma enhances local homing of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells to articular cartilage by increasing the quantity and activation of integrin ꞵ1.Stem cell research & therapy · 2025Article
- The Effect of Exosome Size in Platelet-Rich Plasma on Outcomes in Patients Treated for Knee Osteoarthritis.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2025Article
- Spin and reporting bias in the use of platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2025Review
- Platelet-Rich Plasma for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Comprehensive Narrative Review of the Mechanisms, Preparation Protocols, and Clinical Evidence.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIntra-articular (IA) corticosteroid (CS) injections are the mainstay of treatment for symptomatic management in knee osteoarthritis (OA), particularly in the UK. IA platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections are a promising alternative, but no systematic reviews to date have compared them to the current standard of care, IA CS injections. We aim to investigate the effect of IA PRP injections versus IA corticosteroid injections for the symptomatic management of knee OA.
methodsAll published trials comparing IA PRP and CS injections for knee OA were included. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Science were searched through June 2020. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. A random effects model was used to calculate standardized mean difference with 95% confidence interval in WOMAC/VAS score (or subscores), comparing IA PRP to CS injections across studies.
resultsIncluded were eight studies and 648 patients, 443 (68%) were female, mean age 59 years, with a mean BMI of 28.4. Overall, the studies were considered at low risk of bias. Compared with CS injections, PRP was significantly better in reducing OA symptoms (pain, stiffness, functionality) at 3, 6 and 9 months post-intervention (P < 0.01). The greatest effect was observed at 6 and 9 months (- 0.78 (- 1.34 to - 0.23) standard mean deviations (SMD) and - 1.63 (- 2.14 to - 1.12) SMD respectively). At 6 months, this equates to an additional reduction of 9.51 in WOMAC or 0.97 on the VAS pain scales. At 6 months PRP allowed greater return to sporting activities than CS, measured by the KOOS subscale for sporting activity, of magnitude 9.7 (- 0.45 to 19.85) (P = 0.06). Triple injections of PRP, generally separated by a week, were superior to single injections over 12 months follow-up (P < 0.01).
conclusionsIA-PRP injections produce superior outcomes when compared with CS injections for symptomatic management of knee OA, including improved pain management, less joint stiffness and better participation in exercise/sporting activity at 12 months follow-up. Giving three IA-PRP, with injections separated by a week, appears more effective than 1 IA-PRP injection. PROSPERO TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020181928 .
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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.