In comparison with multiple hyaluronic acid (m-HA) injections, multiple platelet-rich plasma (m-PRP) injections were significantly more effective for pain alleviation at 3-month and 12-month follow-ups and could profoundly enhance knee function as measured by the EuroQol visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) scores, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) scores, and VAS scores in knee osteoarthritis patients, as per a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Researchers compared the clinical efficacy of m-HA vs m-PRP injections to manage osteoarthritis of the knee. To compare m-PRP and m-HA injections, relevant clinical trials were explored using bibliographic databases such as Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, and Medline. The postoperative VAS, WOMAC, IKDC, or EQ-VAS ratings from 14 randomized controlled trials with 1512 subjects were included in this study.

The group receiving intra-articular m-PRP injections had reduced VAS scores at the 3-month (weight mean differences [WMD] = -0.25) and 12-month (WMD = -0.64) follow-ups than the group receiving intra-articular m-HA injections. Additionally, the m-PRP injection group had reduced WOMAC ratings at the 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month follow-ups (WMD = -1.23, -5.34, -11.02, and -7.69, respectively).

Additionally, the group receiving m-PRP injections had greater IKDC scores at the 3-month (WMD = 7.45) and 6-month (WMD = 5.06) follow-ups contrasted with the group receiving m-HA injections. More extensive studies and long-term follow-ups are still required to fully understand the long-term negative effects of m-PRP injections for knee osteoarthritis.