This site gives plain facts about joint soreness

Health claims come from listed studies

We've used health studies for claims about care. When good studies disagree, we call the result mixed. A study about knees doesn't prove your shoulder or hip will respond alike. Feeling better after a shot also doesn't prove the medicine caused all the relief. The joint may have settled, or rest may have helped.

You'll find the studies at the bottom of each health page. Ask the clinic which one supports the care offered to you.

The clinic owners benefit when you book

The people who run the Phoenix-area QC Kinetix clinics also run this site. They benefit when a reader books a visit. That's why we put the ownership notice in the footer. You need that fact when deciding how much weight to give the clinic information.

We've also included studies that found little or no added relief from care a clinic may discuss. Read the study list if you want the details. At a visit, ask which study best matches your joint and the care being offered, then compare that answer with advice from a clinician who knows your full health history.

Knowing who benefits doesn't remove their interest. It lets you judge the advice with your eyes open.

Sources

1. A meta-analysis of 14 placebo cohorts (1,076 patients) found intra-articular NORMAL SALINE alone produced statistically and clinically meaningful improvement in VAS pain and WOMAC scores lasting up to 6 months - meaning a large share of the improvement people attribute to an injection is not attributable to the drug in the syringe.

   Saltzman BM, et al. — The Therapeutic Effect of Intra-articular Normal Saline Injections for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Meta-analysis of Evidence Level 1 Studies.. Am J Sports Med, 2017. DOI: 10.1177/0363546516680607.

2. The RESTORE randomized trial (288 participants, leukocyte-poor PRP, 3 weekly injections) found no significant difference from saline placebo at 12 months in knee pain (-2.1 vs -1.8 points; difference -0.4, 95% CI -0.9 to 0.2) or in medial tibial cartilage volume (-1.4% vs -1.2%), with 29 of 31 secondary outcomes also showing no between-group difference.

   Bennell KL, et al. — Effect of Intra-articular Platelet-Rich Plasma vs Placebo Injection on Pain and Medial Tibial Cartilage Volume in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: The RESTORE Randomized Clinical Trial.. JAMA, 2021. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2021.19415.

3. A 2022 BMJ systematic review and meta-analysis of 169 trials (21,163 participants) found viscosupplementation produced only a small pain reduction versus placebo (SMD -0.08, 95% CI -0.15 to -0.02; about -2.0 mm on a 100 mm VAS), below the minimal clinically important difference, and trial sequential analysis indicated conclusive evidence of clinical equivalence with placebo since 2009.

   Pereira TV, et al. — Viscosupplementation for knee osteoarthritis: systematic review and meta-analysis.. BMJ, 2022. DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2022-069722.

4. The FTC's Health Products Compliance Guidance requires that health-benefit claims be supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence - generally randomized, controlled human clinical testing - and holds advertisers responsible for both express and implied claims, including implied claims of efficacy carried by testimonials.

   U.S. Federal Trade Commission — Health Products Compliance Guidance. U.S. Federal Trade Commission, 2022.