Autologous growth factor injections in chronic tendinopathy: a systematic review

Abstract

Chronic degenerative tendinopathies are frequent and difficult to treat. Tendon healing and regeneration may be improved by injecting autologous growth factors obtained from the patient's blood. Autologous growth factors can be injected with autologous whole blood or platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Electronic databases were searched for prospective clinical trials on treatment with autologous growth factors of patients with chronic tendinopathy. Chronic tendinopathy in this study included wrist extensors, flexors, plantar fasciopathy and patellar tendinopathy. Studies examining the treatment of other tendinopathies were not identified. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database score was used to examine the methodological quality of the assessment, and a qualitative analysis was performed with the levels of evidence. There are many proposed treatment options for chronic tendinopathy. Treatments in the form of injections with autologous whole blood or PRP are increasingly used in clinical practice. There are high expectations of these regenerative injections, and there is a clear need for effective conservative therapies. All studies showed that injections of autologous growth factors (whole blood and PRP) in patients with chronic tendinopathy had a significant impact on improving pain and/or function over time. However, only three studies using autologous whole blood had a high methodological quality assessment, and none of them showed any benefit of an autologous growth factor injection when compared with a control group. At present, there is strong evidence that the use of injections with autologous whole blood should not be recommended. There were no high-quality studies found on PRP treatment. There is limited evidence to support the use of injections with PRP in the management of chronic tendinopathy. There is growing interest in the working mechanisms of autologous growth factors. The amount and mixture of growth factors produced using different cell separating systems are largely unknown and it is also uncertain whether platelet activation prior to injection is necessary. These variables should be taken into account when starting clinical studies. A good experimental model for studying tendinopathy would be helpful for basic research. Future clinical studies using a proper control group, randomization, blinding and validated disease-specific outcome measures for pain and function are needed.