Trial reportThe bone & joint journal2022
Platelet-rich plasma injection for acute Achilles tendon rupture : two-year follow-up of the PATH-2 randomized, placebo-controlled, superiority trial.
Trial report in The bone & joint journal, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Surgical treatment versus conservative management for acute Achilles tendon rupture: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Pooled it
- Platelet-rich plasma does not influence magnetic resonance imaging findings of the gluteus muscles after total hip arthroplasty through the Hardinge approach.Skeletal radiology · 2025Trial
- Article
- Advancements in Regenerative Therapies for Orthopedics: A Comprehensive Review of Platelet-Rich Plasma, Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Peptide Therapies, and Biomimetic Applications.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- No significant impact of platelet-rich plasma on recovery after Achilles tendon surgery: A double-blind randomized controlled trial.Journal of experimental orthopaedics · 2025Article
- Review
- Effectiveness and Safety of Platelet-Rich Plasma Combined with Pulsed Radiofrequency to Treat Patients with Infraorbital Neuralgia: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis of a Multi-Center, Prospective Cohort Protocol.Journal of pain research · 2025Article
- Applications of bone regenerative medicine in the foot and ankle: mechanisms, technologies, and therapeutic advances.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2025Review
- Review
- Systematic Review of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Medical and Surgical Specialties: Quality, Evaluation, Evidence, and Enforcement.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Treatment of Tendon Injuries in the Servicemember Population across the Spectrum of Pathology: From Exosomes to Bioinductive Scaffolds.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Optimizing tendon repair and regeneration: how does theFrontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2024Review
- Autologous Platelet and Extracellular Vesicle-Rich Plasma as Therapeutic Fluid: A Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Growth factors in the treatment of Achilles tendon injury.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimsTo determine whether platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection improves outcomes two years after acute Achilles tendon rupture.
methodsA randomized multicentre two-arm parallel-group, participant- and assessor-blinded superiority trial was undertaken. Recruitment commenced on 28 July 2015 and two-year follow-up was completed in 21 October 2019. Participants were 230 adults aged 18 years and over, with acute Achilles tendon rupture managed with non-surgical treatment from 19 UK hospitals. Exclusions were insertion or musculotendinous junction injuries, major leg injury or deformity, diabetes, platelet or haematological disorder, medication with systemic corticosteroids, anticoagulation therapy treatment, and other contraindicating conditions. Participants were randomized via a central online system 1:1 to PRP or placebo injection. The main outcome measure was Achilles Tendon Rupture Score (ATRS) at two years via postal questionnaire. Other outcomes were pain, recovery goal attainment, and quality of life. Analysis was by intention-to-treat.
resultsA total of 230 participants were randomized, 114 to PRP and 116 to placebo. Two-year questionnaires were sent to 216 participants who completed a six-month questionnaire. Overall, 182/216 participants (84%) completed the two-year questionnaire. Participants were aged a mean of 46 years (SD 13.0) and 25% were female (57/230). The majority of participants received the allocated intervention (219/229, 96%). Mean ATRS scores at two years were 82.2 (SD 18.3) in the PRP group (n = 85) and 83.8 (SD 16.0) in the placebo group (n = 92). There was no evidence of a difference in the ATRS at two years (adjusted mean difference -0.752, 95% confidence interval -5.523 to 4.020; p = 0.757) or in other secondary outcomes, and there were no re-ruptures between 24 weeks and two years.
conclusionPRP injection did not improve patient-reported function or quality of life two years after acute Achilles tendon rupture compared with placebo. The evidence from this study indicates that PRP offers no patient benefit in the longer term for patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture.Cite this article:
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