Table 4. Effectiveness of prolotherapy injection by comparison type for WOMAC composite, WOMAC pain, WOMAC Function scores and pain intensity.
|
Outcome: WOMAC Composite at 12–16 week |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comparison | n | Scale Range ^ | Pre-treatment mean score | Standard deviation | Post-treatment adjusted mean change | Standard error | Duration of follow up | |
| Dumais28 | Dextrose | 18 | 0–96 | 44.4 | 13.7 | −21.8 € | 2.95 | 16 week |
| Exercise | 18 | 0–96 | 36.2 | 16.8 | −6.1 € | 3.28 | ||
| Rabago22 | Dextrose | 30 | 0–100 | 63.1 | 15.0 | 13.31 | 3.32 | 12 week |
| Normal saline | 29 | 0–100 | 62.7 | 14.3 | 8.19 | 3.37 | ||
| Exercise | 31 | 0–100 | 60.5 | 11.3 | 4.26 | 3.36 | ||
| Rabago30 | Dextrose (dextrose alone or dextrose + morrhuate) | 24 | 0–100 | 59.9 | 12.2 | 14.2 | 2.7 | 12 week |
| Control (normal saline or exercise) | 13 | 0–100 | 67.0 | 10.8 | 7.0 | 3.4 | ||
| Outcome: WOMAC Pain at 12–16 week | ||||||||
| Dumais28 | Dextrose | 18 | 0–20 | 9.5 | 2.9 | −5.0 € | 0.78 | 16 week |
| Exercise | 18 | 0–20 | 8.7 | 4.0 | −1.9 € | 0.73 | ||
| Rabago22 | Dextrose | 30 | 0–100 | 66.8 | 14.9 | 11.78 | 3.62 | 12 week |
| Normal saline | 29 | 0–100 | 66.7 | 16.1 | 5.79 | 3.67 | ||
| Exercise | 31 | 0–100 | 63.2 | 13.1 | 4.89 | 3.66 | ||
| Rabago30 | Dextrose (dextrose alone or dextrose + morrhuate) | 24 | 0–100 | 62.3 | 12.9 | 15.4 | 3.0 | 12 week |
| Control (normal saline or exercise) | 13 | 0–100 | 71.9 | 13.5 | 3.5 | 3.9 | ||
| Outcome: WOMAC Function at 12–16 week | ||||||||
| Dumais28 | Dextrose | 18 | 0–68 | 33.6 | 10.7 | −14.6 € | 2.14 | 16 week |
| Exercise | 18 | 0–68 | 26.8 | 12.8 | −3.6 € | 2.52 | ||
| Rabago22 | Dextrose | 30 | 0–100 | 65.2 | 15.8 | 14.61 | 3.40 | 12 week |
| Normal saline | 29 | 0–100 | 67.6 | 17.5 | 6.63 | 3.44 | ||
| Exercise | 31 | 0–100 | 61.9 | 12.7 | 4.89 | 3.43 | ||
| Rabago30 | Dextrose (dextrose alone or dextrose + morrhuate) | 24 | 0–100 | 62.6 | 12.9 | 14.3 | 2.8 | 12 week |
| Control (normal saline or exercise) | 13 | 0–100 | 68.5 | 11.3 | 7.8 | 2.8 | ||
| Outcome: pain intensity at 16–24 week (measured on a Visual Analogue scale VAS of 0–100 mm) | ||||||||
| Dumais28 # | Dextrose | 18 | 0–100 | 48.6 | 21.8 | −29.70 € | 4.57 | 16 week |
| Exercise | 18 | 0–100 | 38.3 | 24.8 | −9.92 € | 4.58 | ||
| Reeves 2002$ | Dextrose | 36 | 0–100 | 21.5 | 22.4 | −5.4 | 2.4 | 24 week |
| Water | 35 | 0–100 | 27.3 | 20.2 | −10.4 | 2.5 | ||
| Reeves 2002£ | Dextrose | 36 | 0–100 | 39.4 | 28.2 | −13.9 | 3.1 | |
| Water | 35 | 0–100 | 38.3 | 22.0 | −9.80 | 3.2 | ||
| Reeve 2002& | Dextrose | 36 | 0–100 | 53.3 | 28.0 | −13.7 | 3.2 | |
| Water | 35 | 0–100 | 58.3 | 26.0 | −12.3 | 3.2 | ||
| Outcome: pain intensity at 16–24 week (Wong Baker/Knee pain scale) | ||||||||
| Dumais28 * | Dextrose | 18 | WBS 0–5 | 2.7 | 1.2 | −1.27 € | 0.33 | 16 week |
| Exercise | 18 | WBS 0–5 | 2.3 | 1.1 | −0.19 € | 0.26 | ||
| Rabago22 ¥ | Dextrose | 43 | KPS 0–5 | 1.8 | 0.8 | −0.92 | 0.25 | 24 week |
| Normal saline | 41 | KPS 0–5 | 1.7 | 0.7 | −0.26 | 0.25 | ||
| Exercise | 47 | KPS 0–5 | 1.7 | 0.8 | −0.33 | 0.24 | ||
| Outcome: WOMAC Composite at 52 week | ||||||||
| Rabago22 | Dextrose | 30 | 0–100 | 63.1 | 15.0 | 15.32 | 3.32 | |
| Normal saline | 29 | 0–100 | 62.7 | 14.3 | 7.59 | 3.36 | ||
| Exercise | 31 | 0–100 | 60.5 | 11.3 | 8.24 | 3.33 | ||
| Rabago30 | Dextrose (dextrose alone or dextrose + morrhuate) | 24 | 0–100 | 59.9 | 12.2 | 17.6 | 3.2 | |
| Control (normal saline or exercise) | 13 | 0–100 | 67.0 | 10.8 | 8.6 | 5.0 | ||
| Outcome WOMAC Pain at 52 week | ||||||||
| Rabago22 | Dextrose | 30 | 0–100 | 66.8 | 14.9 | 14.18 | 3.62 | |
| Normal saline | 29 | 0–100 | 66.7 | 16.1 | 7.38 | 3.67 | ||
| Exercise | 31 | 0–100 | 63.2 | 13.1 | 9.24 | 3.63 | ||
| Rabago30 | Dextrose (dextrose alone or dextrose + morrhuate) | 24 | 0–100 | 62.3 | 12.9 | 18.1 | 3.8 | |
| Control (normal saline or exercise) | 13 | 0–100 | 71.9 | 13.5 | 4.6 | 5.0 | ||
| Outcome WOMAC function at 52 week | ||||||||
| Rabago22 | Dextrose | 30 | 0–100 | 65.2 | 15.8 | 16.25 | 3.39 | |
| Normal saline | 29 | 0–100 | 67.6 | 17.5 | 5.46 | 3.44 | ||
| Exercise | 31 | 0–100 | 61.9 | 12.7 | 7.31 | 3.40 | ||
| Rabago30 | Dextrose (dextrose alone or dextrose + morrhuate) | 24 | 0–100 | 62.6 | 12.9 | 18.6 | 2.9 | |
| Control (normal saline or exercise) | 13 | 0–100 | 68.5 | 11.3 | 9.8 | 4.8 | ||
Keys:
#The VAS score in Dumais 2012 represents a global assessment of disease activity, with minus sign (−) indicating improvement.
$The VAS score in Reeves 2002 represents measurement of pain intensity at rest, with minus sign (−) indicating improvement.
£The VAS score in Reeves 2002 represents measurement of pain intensity with walking, with minus sign (−) indicating improvement.
&The VAS score in Reeves 2002 represents measurement of pain intensity with stair use, with minus sign (−) indicating improvement.
*Wong Baker = Wong Baker Faces Pain Rating scale from 0–5, with minus sign (−) indicating improvement.
¥The Knee pain scale assessed severity on a 0–5 ordinal scale on each individual knee, with minus sign (−) indicating improvement.
^Dumais adopted WOMAC version constructed on a five point Likert scale: composite (0–96), pain (0–20), stiffness (0–8) and function (0–68). Lower score indicates better knee related metrics, minus sign (−) indicates pain reduction.
^Rabago adopted WOMAC version constructed on a five point Likert scale: composite (0–96), pain (0–20), stiffness (0–8) and function (0–68); values were then converted to a 0–100 scale for each of the four domains. Composite WOMAC score reflect a weighted average. Higher score indicates better knee related metrics, of which a positive sign (+) indicates improvement.
€The values in standard deviation were converted to standard error.