Customised platelet treatment hope for osteoarthritis

Dr Brian Halpern

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) shows great potential for people who have osteoarthritis of the knee in a new study published in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. PRP is produced from a person’s own blood and delivers a high concentration of growth factors to arthritic cartilage that can enhance healing.
Researchers injected 15 people who had early osteoarthritis with 6mL of PRP and monitored them for a year. The treatment improved pain, stiffness and function and the progression of osteoarthritis was delayed in up to 73% of patients.

“This is a very positive study,” says Dr Brian Halpern, lead author. “You take a person’s blood, you spin it down, you concentrate the platelets, and you inject a person’s knee with their own platelets in a concentrated form. This then activates growth factors and stem cells to help repair the tissue, if possible, calm osteoarthritic symptoms and decrease inflammation.”

The study was small and needs to be replicated in a much larger trial. However, it is an exciting progression in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

“We are entering into an era of biologic treatment, which is incredibly ideal, where you can use your own cells to try to help repair your other cells, rather than using a substance that is artificial,” says Dr Halpern. “The downside is next to zero and the upside is huge.”