Background: Lateral humeral epicondylitis, or ââ?¬Ë?tennis elbowââ?¬â?¢, is a common condition with a variety of treatment\noptions. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and Autologous Whole Blood (AWB) represent new therapeutic options for\nchronic tendinopathies including tennis elbow. The aim of the present study was to compare the long term effects\nof PRP versus autologous whole blood local injection in patients with chronic tennis elbow.\nMethods: Seventy six patients with chronic lateral humeral epicondylitis with duration of symptoms more than\n3 months were included in this study and randomized into 2 groups. Group 1 was treated with a single injection of\n2 mL of autologous leukocyte rich PRP (4.8 times of plasma) and group 2 with 2 mL of AWB. Tennis elbow strap,\nstretching and strengthening exercises were administered for both groups. Pain and functional improvements were\nassessed using visual analogue scale (VAS), Mayo score (modified Mayo Clinic performance index for the elbow)\nand pressure pain threshold (PPT) at 0, 4, 8 weeks and 6 and 12 months.\nResults: All pain variables including VAS, PPT and Mayo scores improved significantly in both groups at each follow\nup intervals compared to baseline. No statistically significant difference was noted between groups regarding pain,\nfunctional scores and treatment success rates in all follow up examinations (P >0/05).\nConclusion: PRP and autologous whole blood injections are both effective methods to treat chronic lateral epicondylitis\nand their efficacy persisted during long term follow up. PRP was not superior to AWB in long term follow up.
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