Early Results of a Novel Treatment Technique with Autologous Blood for Chronic Lateral Epicondylitis

Early Results of a Novel Treatment Technique with Autologous Blood for Chronic Lateral Epicondylitis

Author Info

Corresponding Author
Michelle Coopmans
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Meander Medical Centre, Amersfoort, Netherlands

A B S T R A C T

Background: Chronic lateral epicondylitis can be a severe disabling condition. There is still lack of consensus on best treatment, as no single intervention has been proven to be superior regarding pain relief and improvement of function. Due to the self-limiting nature of this elbow condition, we are looking for a fast and safe treatment method to break through this pattern of pain and loss of elbow function. Autologous blood injection therapy by means of an automatic injection system, can be a promising new treatment option for this group of patients suffering from chronic lateral epicondylitis. In this study, we evaluated the short-term results of autologous blood injection therapy in a standardized way by using an automatic injection system (=ITEC device) for the treatment of chronic lateral epicondylitis. Methods: A total of 141 patients with chronic lateral epicondylitis (88 female, 53 male) were enrolled in this clinical treatment evaluation being treated with the ITEC device. The mean age of the patients was 50.0 years (19 years-73 years). Numeric rating scale (NRS) and a patient reported outcome measurement tool (Oxford Elbow Score (OES)) were measured at baseline, six weeks and three months follow-up. Results: Pain (NRS, OES) and elbow function / quality of life (OES) were significantly improved within 6 weeks after ITEC treatment. This improvement in NRS and OES sustained during the 3 months follow-up period. Conclusion: Autologous blood injection therapy by means of a new automatic injection system (ITEC device) is a safe and effective treatment method for patients with chronic lateral epicondylitis. More research is necessary to see if this effectiveness sustains in the long-term follow-up.

Article Info

Article Type
Research Article
Publication history
Received: Mon 21, Jun 2021
Accepted: Fri 17, Sep 2021
Published: Tue 28, Sep 2021
Copyright
© 2023 Michelle Coopmans. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Hosting by Science Repository.
DOI: 10.31487/j.SCR.2021.09.10