Is platelet-rich plasma effective for osteoarthritis?

Despite varied non-surgical alternatives for the treatment of osteoarthritis, many patients remain symptomatic. In the last decade, the use of intra-articular platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been proposed as an option. However, there is controversy about its clinical benefit and safety.

To answer this question we used Epistemonikos, the largest database of systematic reviews in health, which is maintained by screening multiple information sources, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, among others. We extracted data from the systematic reviews, reanalyzed data of primary studies, conducted a meta-analysis and generated a summary of findings table using the GRADE approach.

We identified twelve systematic reviews including four studies overall, of which all corresponded to randomized trials. We concluded that intra-articular injection of platelet-rich plasma might slightly decrease joint pain and improve patient satisfaction,vut it is not clear whether it has any effect on functionality because the certainty of the evidence is very low. As for the adverse effects, if they exist, they would be non-severe and self-limited.