Comparison of steroid injection and platelet-rich plasma injection in the treatment of chronic lateral Epicondylitis

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of corticosteroid injections and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections in the treatment of chronic lateral epicondylitis. The study group comprised of 60 patients divided into two equal groups. In the corticosteroid group (Group A; n=30), 2 ml of methylprednisolone (40 mg/ml) was injected along with 1 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine. In the PRP group (Group B; n=30), PRP was obtained from the patients’ own blood and injected in a single dose. Results were calculated using pre-injection and post-injection Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Disabilities for Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score. All patients enrolled in the study completed a 3 month follow-up. There were no complaints of any side-effects to the administered corticosteroid or platelet-rich plasma. No infection or any other complications were reported at the end of 3 months. On final follow-up, the outcome between the 2 groups was comparable in terms of VAS and DASH scores. This study concluded that PRP therapy proves to be more effective in relieving pain than corticosteroid injections in treatment of lateral epicondylitis.