Achilles Tendon Treatment: Too Good to Be True?
Reported January 14, 2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — An increasingly common treatment for Achilles tendon disorders does not appear to benefit patients, researchers found.
Injury of the Achilles tendon is a common problem that typically affects athletes. Around 30 to 50 percent of all sports-related injuries are tendon disorders. Chronic Achilles tendinopathy is a degenerative condition that results in pain, swelling, and activity restrictions.
Platelet-rich plasma (RSP) injections is a recently developed treatment that’s performed in the hopes of encouraging tendon regeneration. But a recent study in the Netherlands suggests it does not offer a greater improvement in pain and activity, as earlier studies suggest.
“These findings are important and clinically relevant as PRP is thought to be growing in popularity and recent reviews supported its use for chronic tendon disorders,” study authors wrote.
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, January 13, 2009