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Can your own bone marrow beat steroids for knee pain?
NCT ID NCT05985785
First seen Aug 24, 2026 · Last updated Aug 25, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether a single injection of a patient's own bone marrow concentrate (BMAC) can reduce knee pain and improve function better than the standard corticosteroid injection in people with knee osteoarthritis. Adults aged 18-70 with moderate knee arthritis and persistent pain are eligible. Participants are randomly assigned to receive either BMAC or a steroid shot, and their pain and knee-related quality of life are tracked over time.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- A patient's own bone marrow concentrate (BMAC) injected into the knee, compared with standard corticosteroid injections.
- What this could lead to
- If BMAC works better than steroids, it could offer a longer-lasting, natural option for knee osteoarthritis pain relief without surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a single trial with 100 people, and results may not apply to everyone. BMAC is still experimental for this use, and its benefits over standard care are not yet proven.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2022
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 70 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients between the ages of 18-70 * Long standing knee pain from osteoarthritis (KL grade 2-3) despite conventional treatments such as activity modification, weight loss, physical therapy, analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or injection therapy for at least 6 weeks * 7-day average pain score of at least 4 on VAS scale Exclusion Criteria: * Systemic diseases (Diabetes, malignancies, infections, etc.) * Post-traumatic arthritis * Patient had intra-articular injection on affected knee in last three months
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Rush University Medical Center
RECRUITINGChicago, Illinois, 60612, United States
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