A recent publication from the American Journal of Sports Medicine, demonstrates that Platelet-Rich Plasma significantly improves the prognosis of patients with chronic tendon injuries, such as tennis elbow. Elbow tenderness and pain with resisted wrist extension are common symptoms of lateral epicondylar tendinopathy, also known as “tennis elbow.”
According to AJSM a recent clinical trial consisted of a “total of 230 patients with chronic lateral epicondylar tendinopathy were treated at 12 centers over 5 years. All patients had at least 3 months of symptoms and had failed conventional therapy.“ This was a randomized trial in which about half the patients received PRP treatment and the other half with a placebo. In addition, the investigators also remained in the dark on which treatment the patients were receiving to obtain more accurate results from the trail.
After 12 weeks the patients that had received the PRP treatment noticed “an improvement of 55.1% in their pain scores compared with 47.4% that did not receive PRP.” After 24 weeks there was a dramatic improvement in the patients that received the PRP treatment. According to the AJSM, “the PRP-treated patients reported an improvement of 71.5% in their pain scores compared with 56.1% in the patients that did not receive the PRP treatment.” In addition, the symptoms for elbow tenderness followed similar trend.
This study indicates that the treatment of chronic tendon injuries, such as tennis elbow with PRP is beneficial but may take several weeks to months to see the results.
If you think you might be a candidate for PRP or other Non-Surgical Orthopedic Treatment and live in the tri-state area, contact Cross Bay Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation PC today. We are conveniently located in Howard Beach, NY and our friendly staff will be happy to help you on your road to recovery.