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

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 7 Sayı: 2, 393 - 398, 09.05.2025

İsmail Güzel , Mehmet Yılmaz , Tarık Altunkılıç , İbrahim Ulusoy

https://doi.org/10.37990/medr.1604362

Öz

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<0.05). MRI findings revealed more pronounced cartilage regeneration in the PRP group (p<0.05). No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups regarding age, gender, or career duration (p>0.05).
Conclusion: For sportsmen with knee cartilage problems, PRP therapy has been found to be a more successful treatment alternative than HA. PRP offers better outcomes for cartilage regeneration, pain management, and functional enhancement. The long-term effectiveness of these results may be further assessed in prospective randomized studies in the future.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Platelet-rich plasma , hyaluronic acid , knee cartilage injuries , biological therapy , clinical outcomes

Etik Beyan

The study adhered to the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by Dicle University Medical Faculty Ethics Committee for Noninterventional Studies (Approval No: 2023/16-42) before data collection began (Date: 14.03.2023).

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