A better functional outcome with platelet rich plasma compared with local steroid injection in tennis elbow

Abstract

Lateral epicondylitis commonly referred to as 'tennis elbow,' is mainly observed in the 3rd and 4th decade of life in around 2% -3% of the population. Treatment modalities for lateral epicondylitis include analgesics, immobilization, tennis elbow brace, local steroid infiltration, and ultrasound therapy. Recent studies have explored the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections in lateral epicondylitis. We used the block randomization technique. Two groups were prepared with 30 patients in each group. One group of patients received PRP and the other received local steroid injection. Patients were evaluated at the time of procedure and immediately after the procedure, at six weeks, three months, and six months, using the visual analog score and Liverpool's elbow score. At the end of 6 months, follow-up patients in the PRP injection group show good clinical and functional compare to the steroid group of patients. PRP and local corticosteroid injection provide symptomatic relief in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis. PRP infiltration gives better results in pain relief and functional activities with statically significant values when compared with corticosteroid injections.