Exercise vs. Topical Diclofenac vs. PRP
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa
- Where
- Türkiye1 site in 1 countryChoose a country to see its sites
- Trial code
- Status
- Completed
- People taking part
- 82 people enrolled
- Started
- 20 Mar 2024
- Ended
- 18 May 2025
- Type of study
- Interventional, 3 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Exercise
- Topical Diclofenac
- Platelet-Rich-Plasma (PRP)
- Record updated
- 4 September 2025
Who can take part
- Age
- 40 years to 65 years
- Sex
- Women and men
- Healthy volunteers
- Cannot take part
The registry criteria, word for word
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Who can take part
- Diagnosed with gonarthrosis according to the criteria of the American Society of Rheumatology (ACR)
- Stage 2 or 3 according to Kellgren Lawrence radiological staging criteria,
- Those between the ages of 40 and 65,
- Body mass index below 30 kg/m2,
- Pain intensity defined by the patient in the last 3 months is at least 3 out of 10 according to NPRS,
- Patients who do not have any barriers to being included in the exercise program
Who cannot take part
- Chronic antiaggregant use or taking immunosuppressive therapy,
- Viscosupplementation or steroid injection in the related knee in the last 3 months, or using systemic steroids,
- To have received a physiotherapy program for the relevant knee in the last 3 months,
- Thrombocytopenia, coagulopathy, crystal arthropathy, hemophilia or hematological malignancy,
- Presence of active infection or tumor,
- Presence of neurological diseases and/or deformity leading to lower extremity muscle weakness
- Having serious systemic and cardiovascular diseases that interfere with exercise
- Hemoglobin level <11.5 g/dL
- Platelet level <100,000/μL
- Being in stage 4 according to Kellgren Lawrence radiological staging criteria,
- Pregnancy or lactation,
- Having a valgus or varus deformity greater than 15°,
This trial has no sites in United States.
It has sites in one country. Choose a country to see its sites.
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
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.
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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.
The 3 groups in the trial
- Intervention Group 1Existing treatment, for comparison
The patients in the Exercise group will be treated with a structured exercise program. The exercises will be applied by the research physiotherapist for 6 weeks, 2 days a week. Each training session is planned to last approximately 30 minutes.
Treatment: Exercise
- Intervention Group 2Existing treatment, for comparison
The patients in the topical agent group were prescribed by the orthopedist. they will use the topical agent. Diclofenac in gel form was chosen as a topical agent in the light of the literature. In this context, patients in both groups will apply the topical agent around the knee joint 4 days a week, 2 times a day (every 12 hours) in the morning and evening for 6 weeks.
Treatment: Topical Diclofenac
- Intervention Group 3Existing treatment, for comparison
The PRP procedure with the same characteristics will be used in the treatment of patients in the PRP group. The PRP application will be prepared by the orthopedics and traumatology specialist physician in the research team, using the kits provided within the scope of the project. In order to collect venous blood for the PRP production procedure, gamma sterile vacuum tubes and blood collection set in special kits without the risk of contamination will be used. A total of 3 doses will be administered to the patients, with a one-week interval between doses.
Treatment: Platelet-Rich-Plasma (PRP)
Data and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Comparison of Commonly Used Treatment Approaches in the Treatment of Gonarthrosis: Platelet-Rich Plasma, Topical Diclofenac, and Exercise
- Record updated
- 4 September 2025