Objectives. To conduct a pilot randomised controlled trial to evaluate the
feasibility of conducting a larger trial to evaluate the difference
in Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment-Achilles (VISA-A) scores
at six months between patients with Achilles tendinopathy treated
with a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection compared with an eccentric
loading programme. Methods. Two groups of patients with mid-substance Achilles tendinopathy
were randomised to receive a PRP injection or an eccentric loading
programme. A total of 20 patients were randomised, with a mean age
of 49 years (35 to 66). All outcome measures were recorded at baseline,
six weeks, three months and six months. Results. The mean VISA-A score for the injection group at the primary
endpoint of six months was 76.0 (95% confidence interval (CI) 58.3
to 93.7) and for the exercise group was 57.4 (95% CI 38.1 to 76.7).
There was no statistically significant difference between these
scores (p = 0.171), which was expected from such a pilot study. Conclusions. This pilot study has been key to providing data to inform a larger
study and shows that the
