Efficacy of Prolotherapy for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis

The use of proliferation therapy is associated with improved knee function and pain relief compared to standard non-surgical options. 

To study and compare the efficacy of proliferation therapy with other non-surgical management options for knee osteoarthritis (OA).

This 12-month randomized controlled trial involved 80 individuals (40 to 75 year-olds) diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis (OA). They were randomly assigned to one of two groups: one group received prolotherapy with hypertonic dextrose injections (40 people) at weeks 0, 4, and 8, while the other group received non-surgical therapy (40 people) following well-known clinical guidelines, including physical therapy and hyaluronic acid injections.

Primary outcomes measured pain assessed with the help of the Visual Analog Scale. And, the improvement in functional capabilities was measured by the means of the WOMAC scale, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. 

Secondary outcomes included changes in knee joint flexibility, quality of life (evaluated using the SF-36 questionnaire), and adverse events (if any).

There was a marked decrease in joint pain following the use of prolotherapy for knee OA. Improvement of functional status was also observed with this therapy in comparison with the non-surgical group. No severe adverse effects were reported.

The research indicates that prolotherapy may be a more effective and safe treatment for knee OA. However, the study's limitations, such as the short follow-up period and small sample size, underscore the need for further research to validate these findings.