Treatments for Knee Cartilage Injuries in Athletes Using PRP and Hyaluronic Acid: A Retrospective Analysis

Aim: This retrospective study seeks to evaluate the clinical outcomes and imaging findings in athletes with knee cartilage injuries treated using autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and hyaluronic acid (HA) injections. Material and Method: Sixty athletes participated in this investigation, with 30 individuals in the PRP group and 30 in the HA group. PRP was administered via ultrasound-guided intra-articular injections over three sessions, spaced at three-week intervals. Similarly, HA was injected using high molecular weight hyaluronic acid following the same schedule. Clinical evaluation was performed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain assessment and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) for functional evaluation. Radiological changes were assessed through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Results: Both VAS and KOOS scores demonstrated a greater improvement in the PRP group compared to the HA group (p