Comparative efficacy of ultrasound-guided intra-articular injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP), hydrolyzed type I collagen, and hyaluronic acid in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial

HA demonstrated greater improvements in some outcome measures at 1 month. PRP and HC demonstrated more sustained improvements than HA during 1 to 6 months follow-ups, although statistically significant between-group differences were limited to selected outcomes. No serious adverse events occurred.</p> <p>Intra-articular PRP, HC, and HA improved outcomes in mild to moderate knee OA; PRP and HC showed a trend toward more sustained benefits during 1 to 6 months.

Longer-term trials are necessary to confirm these findings.</p> <p>Why was this study done?</p> <p>Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes of pain and disability in older adults. Several injectable treatments are available, but it is still unclear which provides the greatest clinical benefit. This study compared three commonly used ultrasound-guided intra-articular treatments: platelet-rich plasma (PRP), hydrolyzed type I collagen and hyaluronic acid.</p> <p>What was done?</p> <p>A total of 135 adults with mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis were randomly assigned to receive one of the three treatments.

Participants received three ultrasound-guided injections into their knee joints at 2-week intervals and were followed for 6 months. Pain, stiffness and function were evaluated using validated clinical outcome measures.</p> <p>What were the results?</p> <p>All three treatments improved patients’ symptoms over time. Improvements during the first month were generally comparable among the treatment groups.

At 6 months, PRP demonstrated greater improvement than hyaluronic acid in several outcomes. Hydrolyzed collagen also showed advantages over hyaluronic acid for selected outcomes. No serious treatment-related adverse events were observed, and all three treatments were generally well tolerated.</p> <p>What do these results mean?</p> <p>These findings suggest that ultrasound-guided PRP may provide greater mid-term clinical benefit than hyaluronic acid for patients with mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis.

Hydrolyzed collagen may also represent a promising treatment option for selected clinical outcomes. Larger studies with longer follow-up are needed to confirm these findings and to determine the long-term comparative effectiveness of these biologic therapies.</p> <p></p><p>This randomized assessor- and statistician-blinded controlled trial compared ultrasound-guided intra-articular platelet-rich plasma (PRP), hydrolyzed type I collagen, and hyaluronic acid in patients with mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis.</p><p>All three treatments improved pain and functional outcomes over the 6-month follow-up, with generally comparable improvements during the first month.</p><p>PRP demonstrated greater improvement than hyaluronic acid in several clinically important outcomes at 6 months, while hydrolyzed collagen showed advantages over hyaluronic acid for selected outcomes.</p><p>All treatments were generally well tolerated, and no serious treatment-related adverse events were observed.</p><p>These findings provide comparative evidence for three commonly used intra-articular treatments and support further evaluation of PRP and hydrolyzed collagen in larger studies with longer follow-up.</p><p></p> <p>This randomized assessor- and statistician-blinded controlled trial compared ultrasound-guided intra-articular platelet-rich plasma (PRP), hydrolyzed type I collagen, and hyaluronic acid in patients with mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis.</p> <p>All three treatments improved pain and functional outcomes over the 6-month follow-up, with generally comparable improvements during the first month.</p> <p>PRP demonstrated greater improvement than hyaluronic acid in several clinically important outcomes at 6 months, while hydrolyzed collagen showed advantages over hyaluronic acid for selected outcomes.</p> <p>All treatments were generally well tolerated, and no serious treatment-related adverse events were observed.</p> <p>These findings provide comparative evidence for three commonly used intra-articular treatments and support further evaluation of PRP and hydrolyzed collagen in larger studies with longer follow-up.</p>