Case series of ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma injections for sacroiliac joint dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: Two-thirds of adults worldwide will experience low back pain at some point in their life. In the following case series, we present four patients with sacroiliac (SI) joint instability and severe chronic low back pain, which was refractory to other treatment modalities. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, a novel orthobiologic therapy, for reducing SI joint pain, improving quality of life, and maintaining a clinical effect. METHODS: Short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SFM), Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and Oswestry Low Back Pain and Disability Index were used for evaluation of treatment at pretreatment, 12-months and 48-months after treatment. RESULTS: At follow-up 12-months post-treatment, pooled data from all patients reported a marked improvement in joint stability, a statistically significant reduction in pain, and improvement in quality of life. The clinical benefits of PRP were still significant at 4-years post-treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Platelet-rich plasma therapy exhibits clinical usefulness in both pain reduction and for functional improvement in patients with chronic SI joint pain. The improvement in joint stability and low back pain was maintained at 1- and 4-years post-treatment.

Omega-3 fatty acids for neuropathic pain: case series.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this case series study was to investigate and report on patients with neuropathic pain who responded to treatment with omega-3 fatty acids. METHODS: Methods: Five patients with different underlying diagnoses including cervical radiculopathy, thoracic outlet syndrome, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, burn injury were treated with high oral doses of omega 3 fish oil (varying from 2400-7200 mg/day of EPA-DHA). Outcome measures were obtained pretreatment and posttreatment. These included validated surveys (short-form McGill Pain questionnaire, DN4 neuropathic pain scale, Pain Detect Questionnaire), objective clinical tools (Jamar grip strength, Lafayette dynamometry, tender point algometry) and EMG Nerve Conduction studies. RESULTS: These patients had clinically significant pain reduction, improved function as documented with both subjective and objective outcome measures up to as much as 19 months after treatment initiation. No serious adverse effects were reported. CONCLUSIONS: This first-ever reported case series suggests that omega-3 fatty acids may be of benefit in the management of patients with neuropathic pain. Further investigations with randomized controlled trials in a more specific neuropathic pain population would be warranted.