A PROSPECTIVE STUDY ON THE FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME OF PLATELET RICH PLASMA INJECTION IN LUMBAR FACET ARTHROPATHY

Abstract

Background Low back pain (LBP) is a major problem all over the globe. While most of the research on LBP has been on discs between the vertebrae, Facet Joint (FJ) is equally important. The three main methods for treating Lumbar Facet Joint Syndrome (LFJS) are as follows: Conservative measures, Interventional procedures and Surgery. Among these, interventional procedures are currently the most frequently utilized. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is effective in treating wide range of musculoskeletal conditions. There is limited information available regarding the use of intra articular (IA) injection of PRP for treating lumbar facet joint disease (LFJD). In this study, we utilized PRP as a novel substance for IA injections and assessed its viability and safety in managing LFJS. Aim and Objective To assess the functional outcome of PRP injection in Lumbar Facet Arthropathy (LFA) using Visual Analog Score (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score before and immediately after the procedure, at the end of 1 week, 1 month and 3 months. Methodology Participants in this research study included 71 patients diagnosed with LFA who were brought to the Emergency Medicine and Orthopaedics Department of the RL Jalappa Hospital in Kolar between September 2022 and December 2023. About 2ml of PRP was administered into each of the afflicted FJs. After the procedure, all patients were evaluated immediately and then at the end of 1 week, 1 month and 3 months. Each patient's functional xviii outcome was assessed using the VAS and ODI, and the results were documented in the proforma. Results In this research, the average age of the patients with LFA was 51.23 years. 46.5% of them were female, while the remaining 53.5% were male. 71.8% of the patients were found to have no comorbidities. The pain scale dropped dramatically immediately after PRP injection on the day of the procedure (6.7). Further, the pain score diminished even more at the end of one week (5.27), at the end of one month (2.96) and further decreased at the end of three months (1.07) after the PRP injection. Therefore, PRP injections continue to effectively reduce pain severity in patients with LFA even three months after administration. The disability score significantly lowered immediately after the PRP injection on the day of the procedure (52.9). Subsequently, the disability score experienced a further decrease at the end of one week (45.44), eventually a drop at the end of a month (33.69) and at the end of three months (22.55) after the PRP injection. PRP injections effectively decrease disability in individuals with LFA even three months after administration. Conclusion PRP injection significantly reduce pain and disability in persons with LFA for a duration of three months after being administered. Therefore, an autologous PRP is an optimal novel substance that can be injected directly into the joint to treat LFA. After 3 months follow-up, it was concluded that PRP was effective, easy to use and sufficiently safe for treating LFA