Towards optimized rehabilitation with regenerative therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of cell-based injections for knee osteoarthritis

Relatively higher-quality human studies compared with other topics in this database, e.g. multiple RCTs or systematic reviews. This does not mean it is standard or approved care.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Purpose This meta-analysis aimed to determine the effects of intra-articular mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based injections on both subjective and objective measures of pain and function in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). The secondary purpose was to investigate how injection procedures, patient characteristics and post-injection rehabilitation influence outcomes. Methods Studies published up to February 2025 were identified using PubMed, Cochrane Library, EBSCOhost, Embase, Web of Science and OpenGrey. Studies that investigated the effects of intra-articular MSC-based injections on improving outcomes for patients with knee OA compared to control conditions were included in this analysis. Two independent reviewers performed data extraction, and disagreements were settled through a third author. Results Thirty-three studies qualified for analysis. Multi-level meta-analysis revealed that MSC-based injections were more effective than controls for improving subjective pain (effect size [ES] = 1.03, p Conclusions Intra-articular MSC-based injections may improve subjective pain and symptoms for patients with knee OA. However, the subjective improvements may not translate to improved objective knee function. Future studies should investigate the effects of MSC-based injections on objective knee function and how post-injection rehabilitation and patient characteristics augment th

Evidence level

Relatively higher-quality human studies compared with other topics in this database, e.g. multiple RCTs or systematic reviews. This does not mean it is standard or approved care.

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