title: Case series of ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma injections for sacroiliac joint dysfunction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Two-thirds of adults worldwide will experience low back pain at some point in their life. In the following case series, we present four patients with sacroiliac (SI) joint instability and severe chronic low back pain, which was refractory to other treatment modalities.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, a novel orthobiologic therapy, for reducing SI joint pain, improving quality of life, and maintaining a clinical effect.
  
  
  METHODS
  Short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SFM), Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and Oswestry Low Back Pain and Disability Index were used for evaluation of treatment at pretreatment, 12-months and 48-months after treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At follow-up 12-months post-treatment, pooled data from all patients reported a marked improvement in joint stability, a statistically significant reduction in pain, and improvement in quality of life. The clinical benefits of PRP were still significant at 4-years post-treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Platelet-rich plasma therapy exhibits clinical usefulness in both pain reduction and for functional improvement in patients with chronic SI joint pain. The improvement in joint stability and low back pain was maintained at 1- and 4-years post-treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Physiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the Canadian Centre for Integrative Medicine, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Gordon D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mindra
authors.affiliation: Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and the Canadian Centre for Integrative Medicine, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Gordon E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Lawson
authors.affiliation: Canadian Centre for Integrative Medicine, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Whitmore
authors.affiliation: Canadian Centre for Integrative Medicine, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Leigh
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Arseneau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007270:Injections, Intra-Articular; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D053657:Platelet-Rich Plasma; D011788:Quality of Life; D012446:Sacroiliac Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional
keywords: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome; Musculoskeletal and joint disorders; back pain; drugs and medicines; fibromyalgia; ligament laxity; motor vehicle accident; neuropathic pain; occupational and environmental medicine; orthopaedics; sports and exercise medicine