Percutaneous Electrolysis for Patellar Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Sports Medicine
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Patellar tendinopathy is a common cause of anterior knee pain, leading to functional limitations.
• Eccentric exercise is a standard treatment, but its effectiveness can be variable.
• Novel therapeutic approaches are being investigated to enhance treatment outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and perform an exploratory meta-analysis on the effectiveness of percutaneous electrolysis (PE) combined with eccentric exercise for patellar tendinopathy.
• To synthesize current evidence regarding functional improvements using the VISA-P scale.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines.
• Searches conducted across major scientific databases (Cochrane, PubMed, Scopus, etc.).
• Inclusion of two randomized controlled trials (2016-2021) for quantitative synthesis; risk of bias assessed.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant difference was found between PE plus eccentric exercise and control interventions (Hedges' g = -0.10, p = 0.72).
• Observed between-group differences were below the minimal clinically important difference for the VISA-P scale.
• The certainty of evidence was rated as very low (GRADE framework).

Conclusions:

• The current evidence base is extremely limited, precluding definitive conclusions on the effectiveness of PE for patellar tendinopathy.
• Findings are exploratory due to the scarcity of high-quality studies.
• Larger, well-powered randomized controlled trials with standardized protocols are necessary to ascertain the role of PE.