PRP treatment reduces pain in patients with chronic tennis elbow

Eighty-four percent of patients suffering from chronic tennis elbow (lateral epicondylar tendinopathy) reported significantly less pain and elbow tenderness at six months following platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatment, according to results from the largest, multi-center study, to date, on PRP and tennis elbow, presented today at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

Tennis elbow is a common, painful condition affecting approximately 1 to 2 percent of the population. In this study, 230 patients suffering from chronic tennis elbow who had failed traditional therapies were treated at 12 U.S. medical centers. Patients were randomized and received either an injection of PRP made from their own concentrated blood platelets, or a placebo, administered with an analgesic at the site of pain.

At 12 weeks, 55.1 percent of PRP patients reported improved pain scores compared to 47.4 percent in the control group, and 37.4 percent reported less elbow tenderness versus 48.4 percent in the control group. At 24 weeks, 71.5 percent of the PRP patients had improved pain scores compared to 56.1 percent in the control group, and 29 percent reported less elbow tenderness compared to 54 percent in the control group. At six months, 83.9 percent of the PRP-treated group reported significantly less pain and elbow tenderness, compared to 65.9 percent of the active control group.