A study found in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine followed 22 patients with early stage knee osteoarthritis to examine the effect of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) on the patients’ pain and function. Patients’ ages were 30 to 70 years with an average age of 54 years, and all of them had experienced knee pain for about 14 months prior to the study. Early stage knee osteoarthritis in each patient was confirmed at the beginning of the study by MRI.
Each of the patients had twenty ml (about 4 teaspoons) of blood drawn and this blood was then spun down to a solution of 6 mls of concentrated platelets (a little more than 1 teaspoon). This concentrated PRP solution was injected into patients’ arthritic knee joints. All patients received one injection. (more…)