Evaluation of the efficacy of autologous platelet-rich plasma injection versus local corticosteroid injection for the treatment of lateral epicondylitis

Background
Local corticosteroid injection is a common treatment procedure for lateral epicondylitis. No statistically important or clinically better results favoring steroid injections were found in recent studies. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has shown a broad stimulating effect for repair and is used widely in different sports injuries. This study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of local injection of autologous PRP versus corticosteroid to treat lateral epicondylitis.
Patients and methods
This prospective, randomized study included 40 patients with lateral epicondylitis: 20 in group A received 2 ml PRP and 20 in group B received 2 ml local corticosteroid. The final results were measured using the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and Nirschl staging. The follow-up was continued for 6 months, with assessment at the 1st, 4th, 12th weeks and 6th months.
Results
The group B showed a significant pain improvement compared with group A in both VAS and Nirschl stage at the first and fourth weeks follow-up visits. At the 12th week visit, the VAS and Nirschl scores were significantly better in group A. At the sixth month follow-up, group A showed a statistically significant decrease in pain in comparison to group B (VAS =0.001 and Nirschl =0.002). At the 6-month final follow-up, nine (45%) patients in group B and 18 (90%) patients in group A were completely relieved of pain (=0.007).
Conclusion
Autologous PRP is an effective treatment modality compared with corticosteroid injection, with less side effects and recurrence rate.