Effectiveness of therapeutic exercise and platelet-rich plasma in the case of knee osteoarthritis

[Purpose] Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis worldwide and has detrimental effects on an individual's quality of life. We compared two interventions-an exercise program alone and an exercise program combined with the intra-articular platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection-focusing on pain and functionality in patients with mild knee osteoarthritis. [Participants and Methods] A total of 76 patients (41 men and 35 women) participated in the study. They were divided equally into the control and intervention groups. To assess knee functionality in both groups, we used state-of-the-art assessment tools, namely the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). [Results] The results revealed that following the eight-week exercise program, the intervention group showed significantly better values in the WOMAC scale and in three of the four components of the KOOS scale (pain, symptoms, and activities of daily living). Additionally, we observed that the improvement in WOMAC and KOOS scores was significantly better in the intervention group than in the control group. [Conclusion] Combining PRP and exercise therapy can help improve patients' quality of life. However, PRP preparation protocols and exercise prescriptions must be optimized and tailored to individual patient needs.