Background. Autologous whole blood and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) have been both suggested to treat chronic tennis elbow.The\r\naim of the present study was to compare the effects of PRP versus autologous whole blood local injection in chronic tennis elbow.\r\nMethods. Forty patients with tennis elbow were randomly divided into 2 groups. Group 1 was treated with a single injection of 2mL\r\nof autologous PRP and group 2 with 2mL of autologous blood. Tennis elbow strap, stretching, and strengthening exercises were\r\nadministered for both groups during a 2-month followup. Pain and functional improvementswere assessed using visual analog scale\r\n(VAS), modifiedMayo Clinic performance index for the elbow, and pressure pain threshold (PPT) at 0, 4, and 8 weeks. Results. All\r\npain and functional variables including VAS, PPT, and Mayo scores improved significantly in both groups 4 weeks after injection.\r\nNo statistically significant difference was noted between groups regarding pain scores in 4-week follow-up examination (?? > 0.05).\r\nAt 8-week reevaluations, VAS and Mayo scores improved only in PRP group (?? < 0.05). Conclusion. PRP and autologous whole\r\nblood injections are both effective to treat chronic lateral epicondylitis. PRP might be slightly superior in 8-week followup.However,\r\nfurther studies are suggested to get definite conclusion.
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