Objectives. Local corticosteroid infiltration is a common practice of treatment for lateral epicondylitis. In recent studies no statistically significant or clinically relevant results in favour of corticosteroid injections were found. The injection of autologous blood has been reported to be effective for both intermediate and long-term outcomes. It is hypothesised that blood contains growth factors, which induce the healing cascade. Methods. A total of 60 patients were included in this prospective randomised study: 30 patients received 2 ml autologous blood drawn from contralateral upper limb vein + 1 ml 0.5% bupivacaine, and 30 patients received 2 ml local corticosteroid + 1 ml 0.5% bupivacaine at the lateral epicondyle. Outcome was measured using a pain score and Nirschl staging of lateral epicondylitis. Follow-up was continued for total of six months, with assessment at one week, four weeks, 12 weeks and six months. Results. The corticosteroid injection group showed a statistically significant decrease in pain compared with autologous blood injection group in both visual analogue scale (VAS) and Nirschl stage at one week (both p < 0.001) and at four weeks (p = 0.002 and p = 0.018, respectively). At the 12-week and six-month follow-up, autologous blood injection group showed statistically significant decrease in pain compared with corticosteroid injection group (12 weeks: VAS p = 0.013 and Nirschl stage p = 0.018; six months: VAS p = 0.006 and Nirschl p = 0.006). At the six-month final follow-up, a total of 14 patients (47%) in the corticosteroid injection group and 27 patients (90%) in autologous blood injection group were completely relieved of pain. Conclusions. Autologous blood injection is efficient compared with corticosteroid injection, with less side-effects and minimum recurrence rate

The February 2023 Research Roundup. 360. looks at: Clinical and epidemiological features of scaphoid fracture nonunion; Routine sterile glove and instrument change at the time of abdominal wound closure to prevent surgical site infection (ChEETAh); Characterization of genetic risk of end-stage knee osteoarthritis treated with total knee arthroplasty; Platelet-rich plasma or autologous blood injection for plantar fasciitis; Volume and outcomes of joint arthroplasty; The hazards of absolute belief in the p-value laid bare

The October 2024 Shoulder & Elbow Roundup360 looks at: Proximal humeral fractures with vascular compromise; Outcomes and challenges of revision arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: a systematic review; Evaluating treatment effectiveness for lateral elbow tendinopathy: a systematic review and network meta-analysis; Tendon transfer techniques for irreparable subscapularis tears: a comparative review; Impact of subscapularis repair in reverse shoulder arthroplasty; Isolated subscapularis tears strongly linked to shoulder pseudoparesis; Nexel and Coonrad-Morrey total elbow arthroplasties show comparable revision rates in New Zealand study; 3D MRI matches 3D CT in assessing bone loss and shoulder morphology in dislocation cases.

Lateral epicondylitis, or ’tennis elbow’, is a common condition that usually affects patients between 35 and 55 years of age. It is generally self-limiting, but in some patients it may continue to cause persistent symptoms, which can be refractory to treatment. This review discusses the mechanism of disease, symptoms and signs, investigations, current management protocols and potential new treatments.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:1158–64.

The use of ultrasound in the diagnosis and management of disorders of the tendo Achillis is discussed. Some of the pathological processes which occur in Achilles tendinopathy can be identified by ultrasound, which may also be used to direct local treatment.

The August 2013 Foot & Ankle Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: mobility, ankles and fractures; hindfoot nailing: not such a bad option after all?; little treatment benefit for blood injection in tendonitis; fixed bearing ankles successful in the short term; hindfoot motion following STAR ankle replacement; minimally invasive calcaneal fracture fixation?; pes planus in adolescents; and subluxing peroneals and groove deepening

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.