Adding Ozone to Dextrose and Somatropin for Intra-articular Knee Prolotherapy: A Randomized Single-Blinded Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Prolotherapy, as an alternative therapy, has emerged as an effective treatment for chronic musculoskeletal injury, including knee osteoarthritis (OA). Several studies have mention ozone as a potential treatment for these diseases, which is based on analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant. OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to investigate the effect of adding ozone gas to hypertonic dextrose and somatropin for knee prolotherapy in patients with knee OA. For this purpose, pain, knee stiffness, and physical activity are measured. METHODS: Sixty patients with chronic knee OA were randomly assigned into two groups of DS and DSO. The DS group received intra-articular hypertonic dextrose (10 ml) plus 4 IU somatropin (4 IU), and the DSO group received 10 ml ozone 25 mcg plus intervention in the DS group. This procedure was performed three times (first, third, and fifth weeks). WOMAC score was examined during the third, fifth, and sixteenth weeks. RESULTS: The mean WOMAC score of the DS group was decreased significantly (P < 0.001) sixteen weeks after providing the intervention (before 64.9 ± 10.6, vs. after 49.2 ± 9.0). A similar decrease (P < 0.001) was observed in the DSO group (before 64.1 ± 11.3, vs. after 41.3 ± 8.0). The decrease of the WOMAC score in the third and sixteenth weeks after providing the intervention was significant in the DSO group compared to the DS group (P < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: For patients with knee OA, prolotherapy with ozone plus hypertonic dextrose and somatropin was more effective in sedating the pain and improving the stiffness and function of the knee than dextrose and somatropin alone.