Analysis Part I • Trends
The Tectonic Shift in Knee OA Injectables
Mapping the evolving research landscape where Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) has captured the 'Share of Mind' in new clinical inquiry.
Core Insight: Hyaluronic Acid (HA) maintains the largest cumulative clinical footprint with over 40,000 documented patients. However, PRP is now the fastest-growing modality in Modern Head-to-Head RCTs.
40,862
HA Patients
16,174
PRP Patients
11,245
CS Patients
Analysis Part II • Eligibility
The Trial Filtration Problem
Exploring how strict inclusion criteria create a "Reality Gap" between clinical evidence and the patients seen in daily practice.
The "Goldilocks" Cohort: Modern research often isolates a patient population that is "just right"—younger (55-65), thinner (BMI < 35), and with preserved joint structure (KL 1-3).
Systemic Exclusions by Modality
While HA remains the least restrictive treatment, other modalities carry significant hematological or metabolic barriers in clinical trials:
- PRP Constraints: Typically excludes patients on anticoagulants, or those with thrombocytopenia and anemia.
- CS Constraints: Most restrictive regarding metabolic health, often excluding patients with uncontrolled diabetes or hypertension.
- The "Data Void": Modern trials (Tschopp 2020, RESTORE 2021) systematically exclude end-stage (KL 4) "bone-on-bone" patients to avoid diluting success rates.
Clinical Takeaway: Evidence for cardiac patients on blood thinners or morbidly obese patients is largely extrapolated rather than directly observed in modern literature.