Efficacy of combined ozone and platelet-rich-plasma treatment versus platelet-rich-plasma treatment alone in early stage knee osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease most often occurring in knee joints, leading to pain of varying severity and deterioration in daily living activities.

OBJECTIVE

To compare efficacy of platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) versus PRP in combination with ozone gas injection in patients with early stage knee OA.

METHODS

Retrospective data of patients who received PRP alone (n= 45) or combined treatment (PRP + ozone, n= 35) injection was analyzed. Patients were evaluated using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores.

RESULTS

In both PRP alone and combined treatment groups, post-treatment VAS and WOMAC scores at month 1, month 3, and month 6 showed a significant reduction compared to pre-treatment scores (p< 0.001). Physical function and total WOMAC scores as well as VAS scores at post-treatment month 3 were significantly lower in the combined treatment group compared to the PRP alone group. Moreover, in the combined treatment group, VAS scores on Day 10 and hyper-inflammation at the injection site was significantly lower than the PRP alone group.

CONCLUSION

In general, similar efficacy was observed between treatment with PRP alone and treatment with PRP in combination with ozone. However, patients receiving ozone treatment are less likely to experience post-injection pain and are more likely to recover faster when compared to patients receiving PRP treatment alone.