Is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Better than Steroids? A Comparative Study on Lateral Epicondylitis Treatment
Keywords:
Lateral Epicondylitis, Platelet-Rich Plasma, Steroids, Treatment Outcome.Abstract
Background: Clinical equipoise exists between steroid and platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection in treating lateral epicondylitis. To address this ongoing debate, effectiveness of PRP injections and corticosteroid injections was examined in patients with lateral epicondylitis in a tertiary care hospital in Andhra Pradesh, India.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among patients treated for unilateral lateral epicondylitis with either steroid or PRP injection. At total number of 46 patients’ charts were evaluated for the outcomes including visual analogue scale (VAS), DASH, and Numeric Pain Intensity Scale (Nirschl) scores were abstracted.
Results: The mean age of the 46 patients was 36.9 years (SD 11.7 years). With follow-up, both the groups have shown a significant improvement in all the three scores. A significant difference was noted in all the scores in favour of PRP group. The difference was significant at the end of three (-0.8; 95% CI: -0.2 to -1.6) and six months (-1.1; 95% CI: -0.3 to -1.7) for VAS score. DASH score improvement was noticed at three months (-8.8; 95% CI: -5.9 to -11.6) and six months (-8.8; 95% CI: -6.4 to -9.7) (Table 2, figure 3). For Nirschl score, a significant improvement (5.8; 95% CI: 3.6 to 7.8) was noticed at six months.
Conclusion: PRP injections offer a promising alternative to steroid injections for the treatment of lateral epicondylitis in Indian setting. Further research with more comprehensive design is needed to fully validate these findings.
