Abstract
To compare the time to return to sport and reinjury rate after platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection versus control therapy (i.e., physiotherapy or placebo injection) in patients with acute grade I or II muscle strains. All eligible studies comparing PRP against a control in the treatment of acute (≤7days) grade I or II muscle strains were identified. The primary outcome was time to return to play. The secondary outcome was the rate of reinjury at a minimum of 6months of follow-up. Subgroup analysis was performed to examine the efficacy of PRP in hamstring muscle strains alone. The checklist to evaluate a report of a nonpharmacologic trial (CLEAR-NPT) was used to assess the quality of studies. Five randomized controlled trials including a total of 268 patients with grade I and II acute muscle injuries were eligible for review. The pooled results revealed a significantly earlier return to sport for the PRP group when compared with the control group (mean difference,-5.57days [95% confidence interval,-9.57 to-1.58]; P= .006). Subgroup analysis showed no difference in time to return to sport when comparing PRP and control therapy in grade I and II hamstring muscle strains alone (P= .19). No significant difference was noted in the rate of reinjury between the 2 groups (P= .50) at a minimum of 6months of follow-up. Evidence from the current literature, although limited, suggests that the use of PRP may result in an earlier return to sport among patients with acute grade I or II muscle strains without significantly increasing the risk of reinjury at 6months of follow-up. However, no difference in time to return to sport was revealed when specifically evaluating those with a grade I or II hamstring muscle strain. Level II, meta-analysis of level I and II studies.
Published Version
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