One-year follow-up of platelet-rich plasma infiltration to treat chronic proximal patellar tendinopathies

Introduction:
Infiltration of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) may be considered as a recent therapeutic option for chronic tendinopathies. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical status and the return to sports activities in patients with chronic upper patellar tendinopathies.

Material and methods :
Twenty subjects with chronic upper patellar tendinopathy benefited from 1 infiltration of PRP. The follow-up (up to 1 year) was assessed by means of a Visual Anologue Scale (VAS), the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) form and the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment (VISA-P) score. Moreover, subjects had to answer an information questionnaire concerning their life and sports activities.

Results :
Seventy percents of the patients reported a favourable evolution with decrease of pain, and returned to sports activities. With time, VAS dropped significantly and both IKDC and VISA-P scores improved also significantly.

Conclusion :
This study confirms that a local injection of PRP coupled with a program of eccentric rehabilitation for treating a chronic jumper's knee, improves pain symptoms and the functionalities of the subjects’ knee up to 1 year after injection.