SynthesisPM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation2026
Assessment of adverse events and safety associated with intra-articular platelet-rich plasma injections compared to other injectates for knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Assessment of adverse events and safety associated with intra-articular platelet-rich plasma injections compared to other injectates for knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation · 2026Pooled it
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo evaluate adverse events (AEs) associated with intra-articular platelet-rich plasma (IA-PRP) injections for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and compare their rates with those of intra-articular corticosteroids (IA-CS), hyaluronic acid (IA-HA), and normal saline (IA-NS). LITERATURE SURVEY: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases identified randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published after 2015. Studies were included if they reported AEs related to IA-PRP injections for KOA and provided comparator data for IA-CS, IA-HA, or IA-NS. METHODOLOGY: Data on AEs were extracted and categorized into mild knee pain and swelling, severe knee pain requiring withdrawal, knee stiffness, other musculoskeletal (MSK) events, non-MSK events, and severe AEs. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to calculate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for AE rates in IA-PRP versus comparator groups. Subgroup analysis was conducted to evaluate the effects of leukocyte concentration on AE rates. SYNTHESIS: Thirty-two RCTs published articles, involving 1268 IA-PRP-treated knees, met inclusion criteria. AEs were reported in 18.7% of IA-PRP cases, with mild knee pain and swelling being the most common (10.6%). Compared to IA-HA, IA-PRP had significantly higher rates of mild knee pain and swelling (p < .001). Subgroup analysis revealed that this difference was significant only for leukocyte-rich IA-PRP (p < .05), whereas leukocyte-poor IA-PRP showed no significant difference compared to IA-HA (p = .51). Knee stiffness was more frequent in IA-PRP versus IA-NS (p = .031). There were no significant differences in other AE categories, and no severe AEs were reported across any groups.
conclusionsIA-PRP injections are associated with mild, transient AEs such as knee pain and swelling, particularly with leukocyte-rich PRP formulations. These symptoms typically resolve without intervention. Leukocyte-poor IA-PRP showed a similar safety profile to IA-HA. No severe AEs were observed, supporting the overall safety of IA-PRP for KOA. Clinicians should counsel patients on the likelihood of mild postprocedure symptoms, especially with high leukocyte formulations, while considering IA-PRP as a treatment option.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.