Platelet-Rich Plasma for Knee Osteoarthritis and Patient-Reported Outcomes: A Large Retrospective Analysis
- 1Department of Primary Care Sports Medicine, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York
Abstract
Background:: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is used increasingly to treat knee osteoarthritis (OA). This study aimed to describe PRP use for knee OA and identify patient- and treatment-specific factors associated with clinical outcomes.
Hypothesis:: Patients with knee OA undergoing intra-articular PRP injections would demonstrate improvement in pain, function, and symptoms over time, with outcomes varying by patient and treatment characteristics.
Study Design:: Retrospective cohort study.
Level of Evidence:: Level 3.
Methods:: A total of 743 patients with knee OA were treated with intra-articular PRP injections. Outcomes were assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS, 0-100, higher scores indicating greater pain) and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for Joint Replacement (KOOS-JR). Change in patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) scores from baseline and achievement of patient acceptable symptom state (PASS) were measured. Repeated-measures mixed models evaluated outcomes at baseline, 6 months, and 1 year using an all-response analysis (391 patients for Pain NRS; 400 for KOOS-JR).
Results:: PRP injections were associated with improvement in pain, function, and symptom state. Pain NRS improved from 39.2 at baseline to 27.2 at 6 months and 22.4 at 1 year (both P < 0.001), while KOOS-JR improved from 60.7 to 68.5 and 69.1 (both P < 0.001), with similar findings in the complete-case cohort. When stratified by radiographic severity, patients with Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grades 1 to 3 improved in both outcomes at 6 months and 1 year, while patients with KL grade 4 improved in Pain NRS at 1 year (P < 0.001) and KOOS-JR at 6 months (P = 0.01) and 1 year (P = 0.001). PASS achievement rates increased over time for both pain and function.
Conclusion:: Intra-articular PRP injections were associated with improvements in pain, function, and symptoms in patients with knee OA. Differences between complete-case and all-response analyses suggest that follow-up patterns may influence estimated treatment response.
Clinical Relevance:: These findings describe patient-reported outcomes after intra-articular PRP injection for knee OA. Because this study lacked a control group, findings should not be interpreted as evidence that PRP caused the observed improvements.
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BibTeX
@article{coss2026plateletrich,
title = {{Platelet-Rich Plasma for Knee Osteoarthritis and Patient-Reported Outcomes: A Large Retrospective Analysis}},
author = {Jonathan P. Coss and Kenar Z. Gelman and Ryan Lingor and Kaylre Greaves and Courtney Melone and Michael Parides and Brian C. Halpern},
journal = {Sports Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1177/19417381261496039},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/19417381261496039},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Platelet-Rich Plasma for Knee Osteoarthritis and Patient-Reported Outcomes: A Large Retrospective Analysis
AU - Jonathan P. Coss
AU - Kenar Z. Gelman
AU - Ryan Lingor
AU - Kaylre Greaves
AU - Courtney Melone
AU - Michael Parides
AU - Brian C. Halpern
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - Sports Health
DO - 10.1177/19417381261496039
UR - https://doi.org/10.1177/19417381261496039
AB - Background:: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is used increasingly to treat knee osteoarthritis (OA). This study aimed to describe PRP use for knee OA and identify patient- and treatment-specific factors associated with clinical outcomes. Hypothesis:: Patients with knee OA undergoing intra-articular PRP injections would demonstrate improvement in pain, function, and symptoms over time, with outcomes varying by patient and treatment characteristics. Study Design:: Retrospective cohort study. Level of Evidence:: Level 3. Methods:: A total of 743 patients with knee OA were treated with intra-articular PRP injections. Outcomes were assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS, 0-100, higher scores indicating greater pain) and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for Joint Replacement (KOOS-JR). Change in patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) scores from baseline and achievement of patient acceptable symptom state (PASS) were measured. Repeated-measures mixed models evaluated outcomes at baseline, 6 months, and 1 year using an all-response analysis (391 patients for Pain NRS; 400 for KOOS-JR). Results:: PRP injections were associated with improvement in pain, function, and symptom state. Pain NRS improved from 39.2 at baseline to 27.2 at 6 months and 22.4 at 1 year (both P < 0.001), while KOOS-JR improved from 60.7 to 68.5 and 69.1 (both P < 0.001), with similar findings in the complete-case cohort. When stratified by radiographic severity, patients with Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grades 1 to 3 improved in both outcomes at 6 months and 1 year, while patients with KL grade 4 improved in Pain NRS at 1 year (P < 0.001) and KOOS-JR at 6 months (P = 0.01) and 1 year (P = 0.001). PASS achievement rates increased over time for both pain and function. Conclusion:: Intra-articular PRP injections were associated with improvements in pain, function, and symptoms in patients with knee OA. Differences between complete-case and all-response analyses suggest that follow-up patterns may influence estimated treatment response. Clinical Relevance:: These findings describe patient-reported outcomes after intra-articular PRP injection for knee OA. Because this study lacked a control group, findings should not be interpreted as evidence that PRP caused the observed improvements.
SN - 1941-7381
SN - 1941-0921
ER -