Clinical Outcomes of Platelet-Rich Plasma in the First 100 Patients with Various Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Single-Centre Study

Abstract

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous biological therapy enriched with platelets and growth factors that promote tissue healing, angiogenesis, extracellular matrix synthesis, and modulation of inflammation. Although PRP has gained increasing acceptance in the management of musculoskeletal disorders, evidence evaluating its effectiveness across multiple pathologies in routine clinical practice remains limited. This retrospective study evaluated the clinical outcomes of PRP therapy in 100 patients aged 11 - 80 years who underwent treatment for various musculoskeletal disorders at a tertiary care Pain Medicine Department between November 2023 and March 2026. Pain was assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), while patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) were additionally evaluated using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Of the 100 patients, 54 were male, and 46 were female. Knee OA was the most common indication (36%), followed by supraspinatus tendinopathy, subacromial-subdeltoid (SASD) bursitis, peroneal tendinopathy, superior labrum anterior to posterior (SLAP) tears, anterior talofibular ligament injuries, hamstring tendinopathy, acromioclavicular joint arthropathy, and lumbar facet arthropathy. Patients with knee OA demonstrated progressive improvement following serial PRP injections, with the number achieving ≥ 70% pain relief increasing from 22 after the first session to 28 after the third session, accompanied by significant improvements in WOMAC scores. Favourable clinical outcomes were also observed in patients with chondromalacia patella, meniscal injuries, anterior cruciate ligament tears, shoulder disorders, epicondylitis, bursitis, hip, foot and ankle disorders, lumbar facet arthropathy, and carpometacarpal joint OA. Younger patients generally demonstrated slightly greater pain relief than older patients, although substantial improvement was observed across all age groups. Overall, PRP therapy was associated with significant pain reduction and functional improvement across a broad spectrum of musculoskeletal disorders, supporting its role as a valuable minimally invasive treatment option. However, larger prospective controlled studies with longer follow-up are required to confirm these findings and establish condition-specific treatment recommendations.