Dual injection therapy improves outcomes in knee osteoarthritis

Ultrasound-guided intra-articular prolotherapy (IG) plus peri-articular perineural injection (PG) with 5% glucose has been demonstrated to be more effective in mitigating pain and improving knee joint function for short-term relief for knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients, reported a study published in Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research.

Yiling Fu et al. compared the effectiveness of this dual injection therapy versus monotherapy for knee OA management. This randomized controlled trial included sixty knee OA patients aged 48-80 years graded as 2-3 on the Kellgren–Lawrence scale. They had persistent pain, crepitation (grating sound or sensation due to friction between bone and cartilage) and stiffness for a minimum of 3 months. Patients were divided into three groups, receiving IG, PG or their combination under ultrasound guidance at 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 8 weeks.

All groups showed noteworthy improvements after these treatments. However, at 4 and 8 weeks, the combined group exhibited significantly lower Visual Analogue Scale and Western Ontario McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index scores compared to the single therapy groups, underlining the superiority of this dual approach. Pressure pain threshold values also improved more significantly in the PG and I+PG groups compared to the IG group.

The dual injection use can enhance clinical outcomes for KOA patients, offering a promising advancement in pain management and joint function improvement.