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The following is a summary of “Concentration of platelets in PRP does not affect pain outcomes in lateral epicondylitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” published in the June 2024 issue of Pain by Averell, et al.

Despite prior studies on the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for lateral epicondylitis, the optimal platelet concentration for pain reduction remained unclear.

Researchers started a retrospective study to analyze the association between platelet concentration in PRP injections and pain reduction in patients with lateral epicondylitis.

They systematically reviewed five medical databases to explore pain outcome differences based on PRP concentration. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 1,408 articles from PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were screened, but only 20 were included in the study.

The results showed no statistical significance between the effect sizes of the two treatment groups (high and low platelet concentration, P=0.89). A systematic review of the literature concluded that PRP injections significantly improve pain management in lateral epicondylitis.

Evidence limitations leave the importance of PRP concentrations in question, as both high and low concentrations effectively improve pain. Initial database queries yielded 1,408 articles, with 20 ultimately included, with no statistical significance between the effect sizes of the two treatment groups (high and low platelet concentration; P=0.976).

Investigators found that PRP injections led to significant pain relief regardless of platelet concentration, suggesting that the concentration itself doesn’t impact overall pain reduction.

Source: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17581869.2024.2360381