Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy May Treat Degenerative Tendinopathies & Pain

All told, patients who received platelet-rich plasma had clinically important improvements in pain, disability and tendon pathology, whereas those who received placebo injections did not. This observation included patients in the observational cohort, who also experienced clinically significant improvements in pain and disability.

The researchers explained in their discussion that patients have high expectations for platelet-rich plasma injection and, thus, a crossover design may be important for patient recruitment.

Lara C. Pullen, PhD, is a medical writer based in the Chicago area.

Reference

1. Wesner M, Defreitas T, Bredy H, et al. A pilot study evaluating the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma therapy for treating degenerative tendinopathies: A randomized control trial with synchronous observational cohort. PLoS One. 2016 Feb 5;11(2):e0147842. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147842. eCollection 2016.