Achilles tendinopathy management: A pilot randomised controlled trial comparing platelet-richplasma injection with an...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Sports Medicine
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Achilles tendinopathy is a common condition causing heel pain.
• Current treatments include platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections and eccentric loading exercises.
• A definitive comparison between these treatments is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of a larger randomized controlled trial.
• To compare the effectiveness of PRP injections versus eccentric loading for Achilles tendinopathy.
• To evaluate Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment-Achilles (VISA-A) scores at six months.

Main Methods:

• Pilot randomized controlled trial with 20 patients.
• Mid-substance Achilles tendinopathy diagnosis.
• Randomization to either PRP injection or eccentric loading program.
• Outcome measures collected at baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months.

Main Results:

• Mean VISA-A score at 6 months was 76.0 for the PRP group and 57.4 for the exercise group.
• No statistically significant difference was observed between the groups (p=0.171).
• This outcome was anticipated for a pilot study.

Conclusions:

• The study methodology is feasible for a larger trial.
• Data from this pilot study will inform the design of future research.
• Further investigation is warranted to determine optimal treatment strategies for Achilles tendinopathy.