Genicular Nerve and Intra-articular Radiofrequency Versus Platelet Rich Plasma Injection for Knee Osteoarthritis

The social impact of degenerative diseases such as articular cartilage pathology and osteoarthritis (OA) is steadily increasing, because of the continued rise in the mean age of the active population. A variety of noninvasive solutions have been proposed for pain treatment, improvement in function and disability, and ultimately, modification of the course of severe cartilage lesions and OA, with variable success rates. Intra articular and genicular nerves radiofrequency (RF) is a minimally invasive technique that usually aims at the neuropathic pain. One important mechanism for the chronic pain mediated by OA is peripheral sensitization, which increases the transmission of pain signals. Through conduction block in pain-transmitting nerve fibers by thermal damage, RF could ease pain without destroying the antennal nerve. The role of growth factors (GFs) in chondral repair is now widely investigated in vitro and in vivo. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a simple, low cost, and minimally invasive method that allows one to obtain from the blood a natural concentrate of autologous GFs.