Observation on application effectiveness of musculoskeletal ultrasound-guided injection of platelet-rich plasma in rehabilitation treatment of lateral epicondylitis patients after surgery

ZHU Lina; LI Haize; LIU Yajuan; LIU Hongxin

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-3806.2025.04.11

Abstract：Objective To observe the application effectiveness of musculoskeletal ultrasound-guided injection of platelet-rich plasma(PRP)in rehabilitation treatment of lateral epicondylitis(LE)patients after surgery.Methods A total of 106 patients with LE who underwent arthroscopic-assisted radiofrequency ablation in the Second Hospital of Tangshan from March 2022 to March 2023 were recruited.The patients were divided into control group(53 cases)and observation group(53 cases)by using random number table method.After surgery,the control group received routine rehabilitation training,while the observation group received the same routine rehabilitation traing in combination with musculoskeletal ultrasound-guided injection of PRP.Both of the two groups were treated for 4 consecutive weeks.The pain intensity,levels of serum inflammatory factors,elbow joint function and upper limb function,pain-free grip strength(PFG)and activities of daily living(ADL)were compared between the two groups before rehabilitation treatment,at the 2nd week of rehabilitation treatment and at the 4th week of rehabilitation treatment.The excellent and good rate of elbow joint function recovery was compared between the two groups at the 6th month after surgery.The occurrence of complications during the postoperative rehabilitation treatment period was recorded in the two groups.Results The Numeric Rating Scale(NRS)scores for assessing pain under forearm external rotation,pain under forearm internal rotation and resting pain in both groups at the 2nd week of rehabilitation treatment and at the 4th week of rehabilitation treatment were significantly lower than those before rehabilitation treatment(P＜0.05),and the scores in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group after rehabilitation treatment(P＜0.05).The levels of serum C-reactive protein(CRP),interleukin-6(IL-6)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in both groups at the 2nd week of rehabilitation treatment and at the 4th week of rehabilitation treatment were significantly lower than those before rehabilitation treatment(P＜0.05),and the levels in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group after rehabilitation treatment(P＜0.05).The Mayo elbow performance scores(MEPS),PFG scores and ADL scale scores in both groups at the 2nd week of rehabilitation treatment and at the 4th week of rehabilitation treatment were significantly higher than those before rehabilitation treatment(P＜0.05),and the scores in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group after rehabilitation treatment(P＜0.05).The disabilities of the arm,shoulder and hand(DASH)scores in both groups at the 2nd week of rehabilitation treatment and at the 4th week of rehabilitation treatment were significantly lower than those before rehabilitation treatment(P＜0.05),and the scores in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group after rehabilitation treatment(P＜0.05).The excellent and good rate of elbow joint function recovery in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group(92.45％vs 77.36％,x2=4.711,P=0.030).During the postoperative rehabilitation treatment period,there were no complications such as incision infection,vascular and nerve damage,local swelling of the elbow joints and pain aggravation in both groups.Conclusion The musculoskeletal ultrasound-guided injection of PRP combined with routine rehabilitation training can significantly improve LE patients'upper limb function and elbow joint function after surgery,reduce their pain intensity and inflammatory state,and is safe and effective.