Effectiveness, Compliance, and Safety of Dextrose Prolotherapy for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Meta-Analysis and Metaregression of Randomized Controlled Trials

Chen YW, et al. · Clinical Rehabilitation

Favorable effects on pain, global function, and quality of life vs placebo, with signals of dose-dependent pain reduction; comparable to other invasive therapies. Trial pool remains small and heterogeneous.

Population

14 RCTs, 978 patients with knee OA

Intervention

Dextrose prolotherapy

Comparator

Placebo, noninvasive care, or other injections

Limitations

Small heterogeneous trials, variable injection protocols (intra- vs peri-articular), risk of bias in several included studies.