INTRODUCTIONKnee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common articular disease. Different methods are used to alleviate the symptoms of patients with knee OA, including analgesics, physical therapy, exercise prescription, and intra-articular injections (glucocorticoids, hyaluronic acid [HA], etc). New studies have focused on modern therapeutic methods that stimulate cartilage healing process and improve the damage, including the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as a complex of growth factors. Due to the high incidence of OA and its consequences, we decided to study the long-term effect of intraarticular injection of PRP and HA on clinical outcome and quality of life of patients with knee OA.METHODThis non-placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial involved 160 patients affected by knee OA, grade 1–4 of Kellgren–Lawrence scale. In the PRP group (n = 87), two intra-articular injections at 4-week interval were applied, and in the HA group (n = 73), three doses of intra-articular injection at 1-week interval were applied. All patients were prospectively evaluated before and at 12 months after the treatment by Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) and SF-36 questionnaires. The results were analyzed using SPSS 16.1 software (RCT code: IRCT2014012113442N5).RESULTSAt the 12-month follow-up, WOMAC pain score and bodily pain significantly improved in both groups; however, better results were determined in the PRP group compared to the HA group (P < 0.001). Other WOMAC and SF-36 parameters improved only in the PRP group. More improvement (but not statistically significant) was achieved in patients with grade 2 OA in both the groups.CONCLUSIONThis study suggests that PRP injection is more efficacious than HA injection in reducing symptoms and improving quality of life and is a therapeutic option in select patients with knee OA who have not responded to conventional treatment.

BackgroundLateral humeral epicondylitis, or ‘tennis elbow’, is a common condition with a variety of treatment options. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and Autologous Whole Blood (AWB) represent new therapeutic options for chronic tendinopathies including tennis elbow. The aim of the present study was to compare the long term effects of PRP versus autologous whole blood local injection in patients with chronic tennis elbow.MethodsSeventy six patients with chronic lateral humeral epicondylitis with duration of symptoms more than 3 months were included in this study and randomized into 2 groups. Group 1 was treated with a single injection of 2 mL of autologous leukocyte rich PRP (4.8 times of plasma) and group 2 with 2 mL of AWB. Tennis elbow strap, stretching and strengthening exercises were administered for both groups. Pain and functional improvements were assessed using visual analogue scale (VAS), Mayo score (modified Mayo Clinic performance index for the elbow) and pressure pain threshold (PPT) at 0, 4, 8 weeks and 6 and 12 months.ResultsAll pain variables including VAS, PPT and Mayo scores improved significantly in both groups at each follow up intervals compared to baseline. No statistically significant difference was noted between groups regarding pain, functional scores and treatment success rates in all follow up examinations (P >0/05).ConclusionPRP and autologous whole blood injections are both effective methods to treat chronic lateral epicondylitis and their efficacy persisted during long term follow up. PRP was not superior to AWB in long term follow up.

BackgroundCarpal tunnel syndrome is the most common peripheral entrapment neuropathy, for which conservative treatments are the first measures taken. However, these measures are not usually sufficient. Recently major attention has been drawn to platelet-rich plasma for its possible effects on axon regeneration and neurological recovery. Although few studies have evaluated the effects of this treatment in carpal tunnel syndrome, further investigation is required to reach concrete conclusion.MethodsIn this randomized controlled trial, women referring to the physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic at Shahid Modarres Hospital during 2016 with a diagnosis of mild and moderate idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome were chosen. They were randomly assigned to two groups: (i) a control group using only a wrist splint, and (ii) a platelet-rich plasma group that received wrist splints along with a single local injection of platelet-rich plasma. The outcome measures were assessed via Visual Analogue Scale, the Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire and electrophysiological findings including the peak latency of sensory nerve action potential and the onset latency of the compound muscle action potential.ResultsA total of 41 women were included (20 wrists as control group) and (21 wrists as platelet-rich plasma group). Before treatment there were no significant differences between the two groups except for the median peak latency of sensory nerve action potential which was significantly higher among the patients in the platelet-rich plasma group (p = 0.03). All the measured variables significantly decreased in both groups after 10 weeks of treatment except for the median onset latency of the compound muscle action potential (p = 0.472). Finally, the changes in neither of the evaluated outcome measures were found to significantly differ between the two groups, even when the analyses were adjusted for age of the patients.ConclusionThe findings of this study showed that in a relatively short period of time after treatment, a single injection of platelet-rich plasma in the wrist does not significantly add to the effects of conservative treatment with wrist splints, in regards to the women pain and symptom severity, functional status and electrophysiological parameters.Trial registrationThe trial has been retrospectively registered with an ID: IRCT2017041513442N13 (Date of registration: 2017–06-19).

Background and objectives:Knee osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of intra-articular injection of a newly developed plasma rich in growth factor (PRGF) versus hyaluronic acid (HA) on pain and function of patients with knee osteoarthritis.Methods:In this single-blinded randomized clinical trial, patients with symptomatic osteoarthritis of knee were assigned to receive 2 intra-articular injections of our newly developed PRGF in 3 weeks or 3 weekly injections of HA. Our primary outcome was the mean change from baseline until 2 and 6 months post intervention in scores of visual analog scale, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and Lequesne index. We used analysis of variance for repeated-measures statistical test.Results:A total of 69 patients entered final analysis. The mean age of patients was 58.2 ± 7.41 years and 81.2% were women. In particular, total WOMAC index decreased from 42.9 ± 13.51 to 26.8 ± 13.45 and 24.4 ± 16.54 at 2 and 6 months in the newly developed PRGF group (within subjects P = .001), and from 38.8 ± 12.62 to 27.8 ± 11.01 and 27.4 ± 11.38 at 2 and 6 months in the HA group (within subjects P = .001), respectively (between subjects P = .631). There was no significant difference between PRGF and HA groups in patients’ satisfaction and minor complications of injection, whereas patients in HA group reported significantly lower injection-induced pain.Conclusions:In 6 months follow up, our newly developed PRGF and HA, both are effective options to decrease pain and improvement of function in patients with symptomatic mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis.

Patients in the neurofeedback and EMG-biofeedback groups showed hand improvement similar to conventional OT. Further studies are suggested to assign the best protocol for neurofeedback and EMG-biofeedback therapy.

Please cite this article as follows: Rayegani SM, Raeissadat SA, Heidari S, Moradi-Joo M. Safety and effectiveness of low-level laser therapy in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Lasers Med Sci. 2017;8(Suppl 1):S12-S19. doi:10.15171/ jlms.2017.s3. IntroductionOsteoarthritis is one of the most common diseases which has affected many people; this disease increases with age. In general, it may be said that approximately 14% of adults in United States and 40% of the population under 65 years old in Britain and Australia suffer from this disease; this disease prevalence is growing.1 Osteoarthritis is an example of physical and motor disability and one of the most important causes of functional disabilities in individuals, and imposes significant costs to individuals and consequently, to society. 2Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is one of the most common osteoarthritis types and is associated with symptoms such as knee stiffness, pain, and limited movement range of knee joint. These conditions lead to physical function impairment, limited independence in doing daily life activities, decreased quality of life, and other disabilities. 3,4 KOA is also known as arthritis or knee joint stiffness; it mainly affects the articular cartilage. The articular cartilage is a soft tissue which is inside the joint and between bones; in the case of its damage, the bones will rub on each other and extended bone will be created around the joint. Ultimately, the ligaments and muscles around the joint will be narrowed and weakened. [1][2][3][4] There are several different treatments to control this disease (pharmacotherapy, surgery, physiotherapy, exercise therapy). It seems that the use of these methods depends on disease stage and patient's specific condition. In general, however, the logic and philosophy of these methods is relieving patient from pain, make him/her independent in doing daily life activities, and improving his/her life. 5Due to numerous complications which are associated with using non-steroidal drugs, using them to control this disease is limited. 5 Recently, other therapies which are based on rehabilitation methods (such as exercise therapy, tensile muscle movement, electrical stimulation, acupuncture, and heat therapy) are more considered by physicians than using non-steroidal drugs.6 Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is one of the safe and non-invasive methods which has recently attracted the attention of Iran Health Insurance Organization, Tehran, Iran Abstract Introduction: Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) was introduced as an alternative non-invasive treatment for osteoarthritis, but its effectiveness is still controversial. The main objective of this article was to determine the safety and efficacy of LLLT in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Methods:In order to gather evidence, main medical databases as well as relevant websites were browsed without time limit. We searched with appropriate keywords and strategies. After quality assessment of studies, study data were extrac...

PurposeKnee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disease, imposing a great burden through pain and decreased function. There are many therapeutic modalities including non-pharmacologic choices and oral, topical, and intra-articular medications. New studies have shown promising results for ozone application in knee OA. Our aim was to compare the effects of ozone therapy versus hyaluronic acid (HA) intra-articular injection in knee OA patients.MethodsIn this randomized clinical trial, a total of 174 patients with more than 3 months of chronic pain or swelling in the knee joints along with consistent imaging findings were enrolled and randomly allocated into two groups of HA and ozone, which were planned to undergo 3 weekly injections of HA (Hyalgan®) and 10 mL of a 30 μg/mL ozone solution, respectively. Patients were evaluated at baseline and 6 months after the last injection for pain, stiffness, and function using the visual analog scale (VAS) and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) questionnaire.ResultsNo major adverse events were detected in this study. Total WOMAC score decreased from 40.8±9.8 to 20.4±4.9 (p<0.01) in the ozone group and from 38.5±7.9 to 17.1±4.2 (p<0.01) in the HA group. A similar trend was observed in pain improvement according to VAS. Pain, stiffness, and function significantly improved in both the groups, but no between-group difference was found.ConclusionAlthough both ozone and HA can be effectively used for improving function and reducing pain in selected knee OA patients, neither of the two showed any superiority at 6-month follow-up.

Purpose: Few papers have studied the objective effects of PRP on cartilage. In this study, we investigated the effect of PRP on cartilage characteristics by special MRI sequencing in knee osteoarthritis (IRCT registration number: 2014020413442N6). Patients and methods: In this double blind randomized clinical trial, patients with bilateral knees osteoarthritis-grade 1, 2, and 3 were included in the study. Each patient's knees were randomly allocated to either control or treatment groups. PRP was injected in two sessions with 4 week intervals in PRP group. The VAS (visual analog scale) and WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index) were utilized and MRI was performed for all patients, before, and 8 months after treatment. The MRI sequences taken were transverse 3D TRUFISP and coronal and sagittal fat saturated proton-density. Imaging was scored according to four cartilage characteristics. Results: 46 knees (from 23 patients) were included in this study. 23 knees in the case group and 23 knees in control group were studied. All patients were female with mean age of 57.57±5.9 years. Mean total WOMAC and VAS changes before and after treatment in control group were 11.61±8.5 and 1.3±1.1 respectively. In PRP group, mean total WOMAC and VAS changes showed better improvement with 20±12.3 and 3.2±1.6 respectively (P-value <0.05). In PRP group, all of the radiologic variables (patellofemoral cartilage volume, synovitis and medial and lateral meniscal disintegrity), with the exception of subarticular bone marrow abnormality, had significant improvement (P-value <0.05). In a comparison between the two groups, patellofemoral cartilage volume and synovitis had significantly changed in the PRP group (P-value <0.05). Conclusion: In this study, in addition to the effect of PRP on VAS and WOMAC, there was a significant effect on radiologic characteristics (patellofemoral cartilage volume and synovitis). For further evaluation, a longer study with a larger sample size is recommended.