Exercise vs. Topical Diclofenac vs. PRP

NCT05877027 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 82

Last updated 2025-09-04

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis, is a chronic and degenerative joint disease. It has been reported to affect more than 300 million adults and elderly individuals worldwide. The joint most commonly affected by osteoarthritis is the knee joint and this condition is called gonarthrosis.

The goal of treatment is to reduce symptoms and ultimately slow the progression of the disease with various treatment options throughout the course of the disease.Current clinical studies prepared by the working groups of the International Osteoarthritis Research Society (OARSI) and the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO) According to the guidelines, treatment typically includes physiotherapy interventions with the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and analgesics, including intra-articular injections of corticosteroids. Exercise-oriented physiotherapy is one of the main approaches for the conservative treatment of gonarthrosis. The curative clinical effect of exercise therapy on pain and functional disability in gonarthrosis is important.

The use of PRP in the treatment of gonarthrosis is based on the ability of platelets to release biologically active proteins and promote tissue healing. Since the cartilage tissue mainly affected in gonarthrosis has low healing potential, this feature of platelets becomes more important for the target tissue. Existing studies show that PRP is superior to hyaluronic acid in intermediate and initial gonarthrosis; on the other hand, less satisfactory results are reported in severe gonarthrosis, similar to viscosupplementation.

Topically or orally administered NSAIDs form the backbone of pharmacological treatment in gonarthrosis.

It is seen that both exercise, PRP and topical NSAID agents are among the recommendations in the treatment of gonarthrosis. However, there is insufficient evidence regarding the superiority and therapeutic efficacy of these three treatment approaches. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of "exercise", "PRP" and "NSAID-specific topical agents" in the treatment of patients with gonarthrosis; pain, function, quality of life, and patient satisfaction.

Conditions

  • Gonarthrosis

Interventions

OTHER

Exercise

The first 3 weeks of the exercise program will include range of motion exercises, isometric and isotonic strengthening exercises for the muscles around the knee and hip, and stretching exercises. In the following 3 weeks, resistance strengthening exercises and closed kinetic chain exercises will be added to the program.

OTHER

Topical Diclofenac

They will apply it around the knee joint 4 days a week, 2 times a day (every 12 hours), morning and evening for 6 weeks.

OTHER

Platelet-Rich-Plasma (PRP)

8 ml of blood will be taken from each patient in tubes containing 0.9 ml of 3.2% sodium citrate. Swing-out rotor (open-swing type) will be placed in the centrifuge with the tubes facing each other. After centrifugation, 2.5 cc of PRP product will be collected from each tube and the resulting PRP will be administered to patients by injection under sterile conditions.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Sezen Karabörklü Argut, PhD · Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
40 Years
Max Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2024-03-20
Primary Completion
2025-03-18
Completion
2025-05-18

Countries

  • Turkey (Türkiye)

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT05877027 on ClinicalTrials.gov