PRP & knee replacement
Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is promising treatment for Osteoarthritis of knee & knee pain. Can PRP replace knee replacement surgery? OA knee is a chronic condition of knee wherever knee pain is the predominant symptom. Most significant reason for knee replacement surgery in advanced degenerative arthritis of knee is pain. However, pain might persist even when total knee replacement operation is done successfully. Platelet rich plasma (PRP) prepared from patient’s own blood may be a new modality of treatment that facilitate in regeneration of degenerated cartilage and relieves pain. Most studies indicate it as a superb modality and superior to hyaluronic acid (HA) injection in knee. Some studies indicate that combination of PRP and HA is even higher than PRP alone. Impressed by recent studies on PRP, question is raised whether or not PRP injection will help to avoid replacement surgery? however unless a lot of studies with PRP are conducted on advanced degenerative arthritis, a conclusion cannot be drawn. However, PRP in degenerative arthritis is probably going to be promising and should give another choice to total knee replacement operation in a very good proportion of patients of knee osteoarthritis.
