Platelet-Poor Versus Platelet-Rich Plasma for the Treatment of Acute Thigh Muscle Injuries

The aim of this study was to determine whether patients treated with platelet-poor plasma after an acute thigh muscle injury would have a faster return to activity compared with patients treated with platelet-rich plasma.

This quasi-experimental study included 100 patients (ages 16-45) with an acute thigh muscle injury diagnosed by sports ultrasound and treated with either platelet-rich plasma or platelet-poor plasma followed by a course of structured rehabilitation. The primary outcome was the number of days until unrestricted participation in sport, while the secondary outcome was the rate of recurrent injury within 12 mos.

The time until full, unrestricted participation in sport was significantly lower in the platelet-poor plasma group compared with the platelet-rich plasma group for all injury grades, with patients in the platelet-poor plasma group on average returning to unrestricted participation in sport 22.89 days more quickly than the platelet-rich plasma group ( P < 0.001). In addition, no significant difference in recurrent injury up to 12 mos after procedure was seen between groups ( P = 0.967).

Platelet-poor plasma resulted in faster return to sport than platelet-rich plasma for acute thigh muscle injuries with a noninferior injury recurrence rate. These findings suggest that future high level studies comparing platelet-poor plasma and platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of thigh muscle injuries should be considered.