From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-126338-751813
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- A new treatment for the type of tendonitis
commonly known as "tennis elbow" has shown great potential during
initial tests, says a study in the November issue of The American
Journal of Sports Medicine.
"We took a component of the patient's own concentrated blood platelets
and injected them into the tendon of the sore elbow," said Dr. Allan
Mishra, one of two authors of the study. "This procedure aims to let
the body heal itself."
The platelet-injection technique provided greater relief than more
commonly used therapies that have failed to yield results, often
resulting in surgery.
"Ours is the first in vivo human investigation of this novel biologic
treatment for chronic severe elbow tendonitis in patients who have
simply 'flunked out' of other treatments," said Mishra. "Ninety-three
percent of patients in our study did well, which is as good a result
as patients who have tendon surgery."
Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis or tendonitis) isn't restricted to
those who frequent tennis courts, but is a common problem for people
whose activities require strong gripping or repetitive wrist motions.
The ailment involves a degeneration of the tendon above the elbow that
controls the movements of the wrist and hand.
Although the number of people suffering from tennis elbow is unknown,
Mishra told United Press International it is in the "tens if not
hundreds of thousands."
Treatments such as rest, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,
bracing, physical therapy and injections of corticosteroids (cortisone
shots) are often used to treat tennis elbow, but recent studies have
called their efficacy into question. Those who suffer longest resort
to surgical repair of the tendon when all other therapies have failed.
While treatments such as cortisone shots only cover up the symptoms of
tendonitis, platelet injection addresses the root cause of tennis
elbow.
Blood platelets contain powerful growth factors that initiate healing
in the tendon. In addition, Mishra theorizes that platelets may also
send signals to other cells in the body, drawing them to the injured
area to help in repair.
In the study, 15 people who had severe tennis elbow for an extended
period of time received a one-time injection of platelet-rich plasma.
A control group of five people with similar symptoms was injected with
a local anesthetic.
At four weeks post-treatment the platelet-treated group reported a
mean 46 percent improvement versus a mean 17 percent improvement in
the control group. Eight weeks after treatment, the platelet-treated
patients reported a mean 60 percent improvement while the control
group reported a mean 16 percent improvement.
At six months post-treatment, the platelet-treated patients' reported
scores had improved 81 percent over their baseline scores. At a
two-year evaluation, 93 percent of these patients reported "complete
satisfaction" with the treatment and 7 percent were "partially
satisfied."
Nearly all of the platelet-treated patients had returned to the
activities of daily living, and more than 90 percent had returned to
work or sporting activities.
"The body has an extraordinary ability to heal itself," said Mishra.
"All we did was speed the process by taking blood from a different
area, concentrating it, and putting it back into an area where there
was relatively poor blood supply to help repair the damage."
Other studies have shown platelet-injection therapy to be useful in
maxillofacial surgery, wound healing, microfracture repair and in the
treatment of plantar faciitis. Treatment with platelets is still
considered investigational, and further research is needed before it
can be made available to the general population.