Do Platelet Injections Work?
Many healthcare providers have been treating patients for years using platelet injections (platelet injections) with very good results. However, many still question whether injecting platelets into an injured body part really works. The last several years have provided numerous high quality studies that show the effectiveness of platelet injections, and we are now seeing some very encouraging results in the current literature. We have compiled a list (below) of some of the most up to date studies related to platelet injections broken down by body part.
Knee platelet injections studies
Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine 2017
Nayana Joshi Jubert , MD, PhD, Luciano Rodríguez , PhD, Maria Mercedes Reverté-Vinaixa, MD, PhD, and Aurora Navarro, MD
Conclusion:
A single platelet injections intra-articular injection is effective for relieving pain and improving activities of daily living and quality of life in late-stage knee OA. For patients with late-stage knee OA who are 67 years or older, 1 intra-articular injection of platelet injections has similar results to 1 shot of corticosteroid.
Arthroscopy 2016
Meheux CJ, McCulloch PC, Lintner DM, Varner KE, Harris JD
Conclusion:
In patients with symptomatic knee OA, platelet injections injection results in significant clinical improvements up to 12 months post injection. Clinical outcomes and WOMAC scores are significantly better after platelet injections versus HA at 3 to 12 months post injection. There is limited evidence for comparing leukocyte-rich versus leukocyte-poor platelet injections or platelet injections versus steroids in this study.
Orthopade 2019
Huang Y, Liu X, Xu X, Liu J
Conclusion:
Intra-articular platelet injections injections into the knee for symptomatic early stages of KOA are a valid treatment option. The clinical efficacy of IA-platelet injections is comparable to that of the IA-HA and IA-CS forms after 3 months and the long-term efficacy of IA platelet injections is superior to IA-HA and IA-CS.
Hip platelet injections study
The American Journal of Sports Medicine 2018
Fitzpatrick J, Bulsara MK, O’Donnell J, McCrory PR, Zheng MH.
Conclusion:
Patients with chronic gluteal tendinopathy, length of symptoms >15 months, a single intra-tendinous LR-platelet injections injection performed under ultrasound guidance, results in a greater improvement in pain and function than a corticosteroid injection. This is sustained at 2 years whereas CSI is maximal at 6 weeks and returns to baseline by 2 years.
Elbow and Knee
Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine 2018
Le, Enweze, DeBaun, Dragoo
Purpose of review:
This review evaluates current clinical literature on the use of platelet-rich plasma (platelet injections), including leukocyte-rich platelet injections (LR-platelet injections) and leukocyte-poor platelet injections (LP-platelet injections), in order to develop evidence-based recommendations for various musculoskeletal indications.
Recent Findings
Abundant high-quality evidence supports the use of LR-platelet injections injection for lateral epicondylitis and LP-platelet injections for osteoarthritis of the knee.
Elbow
Journal of Orthopedics 2018
Hastie, Soufi, Wilson, Roy
Conclusion:
We consider platelet injections injection, for intractable lateral epicondylitis of the elbow, not only a safe but also very effective tool in reducing symptoms and have shown it reduced the need for surgical intervention in this difficult cohort of patients.
The effectiveness of Platelet-Rich plasma in the Treatment of Tedinopathy: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled Clinical TrialsAmerican Journal of Sports Medicine 2017
Fitzpatrick, Bulsara, Zheng
Conclusion:
There is good evidence to support the use of a single injection of LR-platelet injections under ultrasound guidance in tendinopathy. Both the preparation and intratendinous injection technique of platelet injections appear to be of great clinical significance.