COMPARISON OF FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME AND PAIN RELIEF BETWEEN STEROID INJECTION AND PLATELET RICH PLASMA INJECTION IN EARLY OSTEO ARTHRITIS KNEE

Introduction: Osteoarthritis Knee (OA) is the most common form of joint disability in elderly individuals. Various treatment modalities have been established for OA. This study is to compare the functional outcome and pain relief following IA (intraarticular) steroid versus PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection. Methods: In this study 30, patients were selected and segregated into two groups 15 each with knee pain for more than 1 year. Each patient would either be treated with IA steroid injection or PRP injection. Patients immediate post-injection VAS and HSS scoring were recorded. Result: Group A and Group B were treated with IA steroid and PRP respectively. BMI (body mass index) was found to be of great significance. Patients were reassessed after injection at 1-month intervals of 1, 2, and 3 months. Visual Assessment Scoring also was used pre-injection. Post injection reduction in pain was recorded with a reduced score in 1month and 2month post-injection follow-up. In this comparative study, patients with PRP injection had better pain improvement over a long period with excellent results of 60% and good results in 26.6%. In the steroid group, excellent results were seen in 46.6% and good results in 40% in the PRP group. Conclusion: Our experience indicates that IA injections are safe and positively affect patient satisfaction. In conclusion, both the treatment approach has promising results. But PRP has a longer duration of pain relief but taking into consideration for acute pain experienced by a few patients.