The effectiveness of prolotherapy in treating knee osteoarthritis in adults: a systematic review.
Osteoarthritis (OA) often leads to symptoms such as pain, stiffness and decreased function. OA is treated with a wide range of modalities, both conservatively and surgically. Prolotherapy has been used to treat various musculoskeletal problems and has shown some promise.



Searches of the electronic databases, PubMed, ISI web of science, PEDro and SPORTDiscus, were conducted for all Level 1-4 studies published from inception through to December 2016.



Ten studies were evaluated and results show significant improvement in scores for pain, function and range of motion, both in the short term and long term. Patient satisfaction was also high in these patients (82%).



Meta-analysis was not possible due to heterogeneity of outcome measures and populations.



Moderate evidence suggests that prolotherapy is safe and can help achieve significant symptomatic control in individuals with OA.



Future research should focus on larger sample size, standardization of treatment protocol and basic science evidence.
Good Hope Hospital, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, B75 7RR, UK.
Fadi
F
Hassan
Dubai Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation Center, Al Garhoud Private Hospital, Al Garhoud, United Arab Emirates.
Suad
S
Trebinjac
Deparment of Orthopaedic Sports Medicine, Dr Humeira Badsha Medical Center, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.|Department of Orthopaedics, Rehabilitation and Podiatry, Ft. Belvoir Community Hospital, Ft. Belvoir, VA, USA.
William D
WD
Murrell
Department of Musculoskeletal Disorders, University of Salerno School of Medicine and Dentistry, Salerno, Italy.|Queen Mary University of London, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry Centre for Sports and Exercise Medicine, Mile End Hospital, 275 Bancroft Road, London E1 4DG, England.
Nicola
N
Maffulli
D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D007270:Injections, Intra-Articular; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D000075527:Prolotherapy; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D016896:Treatment Outcome
dextrose; injection; knee; osteoarthritis; proliferative; prolotherapy; regenerative