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

Authors : İsmail Güzel, Mehmet Yılmaz, Tarık Altunkılıç, İbrahim Ulusoy

Pages : 393-398

Doi:10.37990/medr.1604362

View : 40 | Download : 92

Publication Date : 2025-05-09

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :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). 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.
Keywords : Platelet-rich plasma, hyaluronic acid, knee cartilage injuries, biological therapy, clinical outcomes

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