Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Oct;36(10):3616-3622.
doi: 10.1016/j.arth.2021.05.040. Epub 2021 Jun 4.

Google Trends Analysis Shows Increasing Public Interest in Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections for Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis

Samuel A Cohen  1 , Thompson Zhuang  1 , Michelle Xiao  1 , John B Michaud  1 , Derek F Amanatullah  1 , Robin N Kamal  1
Affiliations

Google Trends Analysis Shows Increasing Public Interest in Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections for Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis

Samuel A Cohen et al. J Arthroplasty. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Background: Osteoarthritis is a chronic musculoskeletal condition that frequently affects the hip and knee joints. Given the burden associated with surgical intervention for hip and knee osteoarthritis, patients continue to search for potential nonoperative treatments. One biologic therapy with mixed clinical and basic science evidence for treating osteoarthritis is platelet-rich plasma injections into the affected joint. We used the Google Trends tool to provide a quantitative analysis of national interest in platelet-rich plasma injections for hip and knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: Google Trends parameters were selected to obtain search data from January 2009 to December 2019. Various combinations of "arthritis," "osteoarthritis," "PRP," "platelet-rich plasma," "knee," and "hip" were entered into the Google Trends tool and trend analyses were performed.

Results: Three linear models were generated to display search volume trends in the United States for platelet-rich plasma and osteoarthritis, hip osteoarthritis, and knee osteoarthritis, respectively. All models showed increased Google queries as time progressed (P < .001), with R2 ranging from 0.837 to 0.940. Seasonal, income-related, and geographic variations in public interest in platelet-rich plasma for osteoarthritis were noted.

Conclusion: Our results demonstrate a significant rise in Google queries related to platelet-rich plasma injections for osteoarthritis of the hip and knee since 2009. Surgeons treating hip and knee osteoarthritis patients can expect continued interest in platelet-rich plasma, despite inconclusive clinical and basic science data. Trends in public interest may inform patient counseling, shared decision-making, and directions for future clinical research.

Keywords: google trends; hip; knee; osteoarthritis; platelet-rich plasma (PRP).

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1A:
Figure 1A:. Linear trend model for PRP and Osteoarthritis.
Linear trend model for platelet-rich plasma and osteoarthritis, 2009–2019. MAPE, mean absolute percentage error; MAD, mean absolute deviation; MSD, mean squared deviation; GT, Google Trends.
Figure 1B:
Figure 1B:. Linear trend model for PRP and Hip Arthritis.
Linear trend model for platelet-rich plasma and hip osteoarthritis, 2009–2019. MAPE, mean absolute percentage error; MAD, mean absolute deviation; MSD, mean squared deviation; GT, Google Trends.
Figure 1C:
Figure 1C:. Linear trend model for PRP and Knee Arthritis.
Linear trend model for platelet-rich plasma and knee osteoarthritis, 2009–2019. MAPE, mean absolute percentage error; MAD, mean absolute deviation; MSD, mean squared deviation; GT, Google Trends.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:. Linear trend model for PRP and Hip/Knee Arthritis in Highest/Lowest Income States.
Linear trend model for platelet-rich plasma and hip/knee osteoarthritis in the five highest income and five lowest income states, 2009–2019. MAPE, mean absolute percentage error; MAD, mean absolute deviation; MSD, mean squared deviation; GT, Google Trends.
Figure 3:
Figure 3:. Linear trend model for PRP and Hip/Knee Arthritis in the 5 Largest Cities in the United States.
Linear trend model for platelet-rich plasma and hip/knee osteoarthritis in the five largest cities in the United States, 2009–2019. GT, Google Trends.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Werner BC, Cancienne JM, Browning R, Verma NN, Cole BJ (2020) An Analysis of Current Treatment Trends in Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy in the Medicare Database. Orthop J Sports Med 8:232596711990081. 10.1177/2325967119900811 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nin JRV, Gasque GM, Azcárate AV, Beola JDA, Gonzalez MH (2009) Has platelet-rich plasma any role in anterior cruciate ligament allograft healing? Arthroscopy 25:1206–1213. 10.1016/j.arthro.2009.06.002 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sys J, Weyler J, Van Der Zijden T, Parizel P, Michielsen J (2011) Platelet-rich plasma in mono-segmental posterior lumbar interbody fusion. Eur Spine J 20:1650–1657. 10.1007/s00586-011-1897-0 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Castricini R, Longo UG, De Benedetto M, Panfoli N, Pirani P, Zini R, et al. (2011) Platelet-rich plasma augmentation for arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Sports Med 39:258–265. 10.1177/0363546510390780 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bennell KL, Hunter DJ, Paterson KL (2017) Platelet-Rich Plasma for the Management of Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis. Curr Rheumatol Rep 19:24. 10.1007/s11926-017-0652-x - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

Substances