By the way, doctor: Does platelet-rich plasma therapy work for tennis elbow?

Q.

At a meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, another group of Dutch researchers reported on a trial involving 100 patients with tennis elbow who were assigned to either PRPT or a corticosteroid injection and followed for a year. About 50% of the corticosteroid group and 75% of the PRPT group improved. But this study wasn't placebo-controlled (corticosteroids aren't a placebo) and it hasn't yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. Besides, the treatment is expensive and most insurers don't cover it. For now, I'd recommend that you rely on proven treatments for tennis elbow and wait for the results of other clinical trials that are under way.

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