Hip OA Breakthroughs, What Patients Want to Hear & Pricing Power Moves

Highlights

• Today’s Research Article: PRP beats HA for hip OA relief — fewer symptoms, longer results, no need to combine.

• Questions from the Field: “Give options, not pressure — let patients choose their outcome.”

• Let’s Get Down to Business: Stop undercharging: price your care like the expert you are.

• Come Join Us: Learn, connect, grow: BOB Live & OrthoSono are around the corner!

If this newsletter was forwarded to you and you'd like to receive future updates directly, subscribe here.

Today’s Research Article

Comparison between the effects of ultrasound guided intra‐articular injections of platelet‐rich plasma (PRP), high molecular weight hyaluronic acid, and their combination in hip osteoarthritis: a randomized clinical trial

Farshad Nouri, Marzieh Babaee, Parya Peydayesh, Hadi Esmaily and Seyed Ahmad Raeissadat

Read the full article here.

Summary:

This randomized clinical trial compared the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided intra-articular injections of platelet-rich plasma (PRP), high molecular weight hyaluronic acid (HA), and their combination (PRP+HA) in 105 patients with moderate (grade 2–3) hip osteoarthritis. Patients received two injections spaced two weeks apart, and were assessed at baseline, 2 months, and 6 months using VAS (pain), WOMAC (pain, stiffness, function), and Lequesne (disability) scores. All three treatments significantly improved symptoms by 2 months, but by 6 months, PRP and PRP+HA showed superior outcomes in function and disability compared to HA alone.

The study found that both PRP and PRP+HA offered more durable symptom relief than HA, especially in functional measures like daily activity and joint disability. While PRP+HA performed slightly better than PRP alone in some metrics, the differences were not statistically significant, suggesting no major additive benefit of combining the two. Adverse effects were mild and temporary across all groups, and PRP showed higher patient satisfaction. The results support PRP as a preferable non-surgical intervention for mid-stage hip OA.

Doctor-to-Patient Talking Points on Why to Choose PRP (Based on the Study):