Evidence map›Paper›PMID 22930695›Full record

Trial reportBritish journal of sports medicine2013

Topical glyceryl trinitrate treatment of chronic patellar tendinopathy: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Mirjam Steunebrink, Johannes Zwerver, Ruben Brandsema, Petra Groenenboom, Inge van den Akker-Scheek, Adam Weir

Open access · hybridAbstract readMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in British journal of sports medicine, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
2.8field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 48 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Exercise for patellar tendinopathy.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Dutch multidisciplinary guideline on anterior knee pain: Patellofemoral pain and patellar tendinopathy.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2025
    Guideline
  3. Pooled it
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  7. Trial
  8. Review
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  10. Article
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  15. Review
  16. Patellar tendon: From tendinopathy to rupture.Asia-Pacific journal of sports medicine, arthroscopy, rehabilitation and technology · 2015
    Review
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  19. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Mirjam SteunebrinkDepartment of Steunebrink Sportsmedicine, Eelde, The Netherlands. mirjamsteunebrink@gmail.com
Johannes Zwerver
Ruben Brandsema
Petra Groenenboom
Inge van den Akker-Scheek
Adam Weir
University Medical Center Groningen · NLMedisch Centrum Haaglanden · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo assess if continuous topical glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) treatment improves outcome in patients with chronic patellar tendinopathy when compared with eccentric training alone.

methodsRandomised double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial comparing a 12-week programme of using a GTN or placebo patch in combination with eccentric squats on a decline board. Measurements were performed at baseline, 6, 12 and 24 weeks. Primary outcome measure was the Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment-Patella (VISA-P) questionnaire. Secondary outcome measures were patient satisfaction and pain scores during sports. Generalised estimated equation was used to analyse the treatment, time and treatment×time effect. Analyses were performed following the intention-to-treat principle.

resultsVISA-P scores for both groups improved over the study period to 75.0±16.2 and 80.7±22.1 at 24 weeks. Results showed a significant effect for time (p<0.01) but no effect for treatment×time (p=0.80). Mean Visual Analogue Scores pain scores during sports for both groups increased over the study period to 6.6±3 and 7.8±3.1. Results showed a significant effect for time (p<0.01) but no effect for treatment×time (p=0.38). Patient satisfaction showed no difference between GTN and placebo groups (p=0.25) after 24 weeks, but did show a significant difference over time (p=0.01). Three patients in the GTN group reported some rash.

conclusionIt seems that continuous topical GTN treatment in addition to an eccentric exercise programme does not improve clinical outcome compared to placebo patches and an eccentric exercise programme in patients with chronic patellar tendinopathy.

Indexed as

Administration, CutaneousAdolescentAdultAnalgesicsChronic PainDouble-Blind MethodHumansMusculoskeletal PainNitroglycerinPatellar LigamentPatient SatisfactionTendinopathyTransdermal PatchTreatment OutcomeYoung AdultAnalgesicsNitroglycerin

Identifiers

PMID22930695
PMCPMC3533384
OpenAlexW2148081253

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.