Publication Name	World Journal of Orthopedics
Manuscript ID	116587
Country	Brazil

Category	Orthopedics
Manuscript Type	Correspondence
Article Title	Letter to the Editor: Intradiscal platelet-rich plasma for discogenic low back pain - promise or premature adoption?
Manuscript Source	Invited Manuscript
All Author List	Alex Guedes, Enilton de Santana Ribeiro de Mattos, Eduardo Silva Reis Barreto and César Romero Antunes Júnior
Funding Agency and Grant Number
Corresponding Author	Alex Guedes, Associate Professor, MD, PhD, Departamento de Cirurgia Experimental e Especialidades Cirúrgicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Bahia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Praça XV de novembro S/N.º, Largo do Terreiro de Jesus, Salvador 40026-010, Bahia, Brazil. alexguedes2003@yahoo.com.br
Key Words	Platelet-rich plasma; Discogenic low back pain; Intradiscal injection; Regenerative orthopedics; Quality of life
Core Tip	Current treatment options for discogenic low back pain remain limited in their ability to provide durable symptom relief and structural restoration. In this editorial, we discuss platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as a potential biological treatment. The growth factor content of PRP may help counteract disc catabolism, although it remains uncertain whether these mechanisms translate into meaningful clinical regeneration. Two randomized trials reported modest or no clear between-group benefit, whereas uncontrolled studies have suggested symptomatic improvement. A recent quasi-experimental study found early improvements in pain and function without major adverse events, although important confounding factors remained. Overall, the current evidence supports continued clinical equipoise, emphasis on patient-centered outcomes, and adequately powered, blinded trials before broader clinical adoption of intradiscal PRP.
Citation	Guedes A, de Mattos ESR, Barreto ESR, Antunes Júnior CR. Letter to the Editor: Intradiscal platelet-rich plasma for discogenic low back pain - promise or premature adoption? World J Orthop 2026; In press

Received	2025-11-20 05:44
Peer-Review Started	2025-11-20 05:45
First Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-01-20 08:19
Return for Revision	2026-01-20 08:19
Revised	2026-03-10 00:59
Publication Fee Transferred
Second Decision by Editor	2026-04-09 02:32
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-04-09 08:37
Articles in Press	2026-04-09 08:37
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	2218-5836 (online)
Open Access	This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Copyright	©Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. No commercial re-use. See Permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
Permissions	For details, please visit: http://www.wjgnet.com/bpg/gerinfo/207
Publisher	Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
Website	http://www.wjgnet.com