Abstract
Patellar tendinopathy is a common cause of anterior knee pain characterized by the degeneration of the proximal patellar tendon. It is often an overuse injury caused by excessive activities that require jumping, running, or rapid changes in direction. The mainstay of treatment for patellar tendinopathy is conservative management, consisting of physical therapy, extracorporeal shock wave therapy, and dry needling. There are multiple studies evaluating the effect of injectable biologics in patients with patellar tendinopathy. Injectable biologics include hyaluronic acid, autologous bone marrow stem/stromal cells, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Injectable PRP is the most studied biologic with promising results for the treatment of patellar tendinopathy. The majority of these studies specifically look at the effect of PRP on patellar tendinopathy and the level of evidence ranges from case series to randomized control trials to systematic reviews/meta-analyses. Numerous high-quality studies show improvement in symptoms, and many show a significant improvement compared to other conservative options. There is room for improvement with regard to uniformity of administration protocols, and more high-quality controlled studies are needed to determine its true efficacy.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Lian OB, Engebretsen L, Bahr R. Prevalence of jumper’s knee among elite athletes from different sports: a cross-sectional study. Am J Sports Med. 2005;33(4):561–7.
Zwerver J, Bredeweg SW, van den Akker-Scheek I. Prevalence of jumper’s knee among nonelite athletes from different sports: a cross-sectional survey. Am J Sports Med. 2011;39(9):1984–8.
Khan KM, Maffulli N, Coleman BD, Cook JL, Taunton JE. Patellar tendinopathy: some aspects of basic science and clinical management. Br J Sports Med. 1998;32(4):346–55.
Blazina ME, Kerlan RK, Jobe FW, Carter VS, Carlson GJ. Jumper’s knee. Orthop Clin North Am. 1973;4(3):665–78.
Warden SJ, Kiss ZS, Malara FA, Ooi AB, Cook JL, Crossley KM. Comparative accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonography in confirming clinically diagnosed patellar tendinopathy. Am J Sports Med. 2007;35(3):427–36.
van Leeuwen MT, Zwerver J, van den Akker-Scheek I. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy for patellar tendinopathy: a review of the literature. Br J Sports Med. 2009;43(3):163–8.
Jonsson P, Alfredson H. Superior results with eccentric compared to concentric quadriceps training in patients with jumper’s knee: a prospective randomised study. Br J Sports Med. 2005;39(11):847–50.
Larsson ME, Kall I, Nilsson-Helander K. Treatment of patellar tendinopathy: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2012;20(8):1632–46.
Dragoo JL, Wasterlain AS, Braun HJ, et al. Platelet-rich plasma as a treatment for patellar tendinopathy: a double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Am J Sports Med. 2014;42(3):610–8.
Ogon P, Maier D, Jaeger A, Suedkamp NP. Arthroscopic patellar release for the treatment of chronic patellar tendinopathy. Arthroscopy. 2006;22(4):462.e1–5.
Everhart JS, Cole D, Sojka JH, et al. Treatment options for patellar tendinopathy: a systematic review. Arthroscopy. 2017;33(4):861–72.
Coleman BD, Khan KM, Maffulli N, Cook JL, Wark JD. Studies of surgical outcome after patellar tendinopathy: clinical significance of methodological deficiencies and guidelines for future studies. Victorian Institute of Sport Tendon Study Group. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2000;10(1):2–11.
Chen SK, Lu CC, Chou PH, Guo LY, Wu WL. Patellar tendon ruptures in weight lifters after local steroid injections. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2009;129(3):369–72.
Paavola M, Kannus P, Järvinen TA, Järvinen TL, Józsa L, Järvinen M. Treatment of tendon disorders. Is there a role for corticosteroid injection? Foot Ankle Clin. 2002;7(3):501–13.
Zhang J, Keenan C, Wang JH. The effects of dexamethasone on human patellar tendon stem cells: implications for dexamethasone treatment of tendon injury. J Orthop Res. 2013;31(1):105–10.
Fogli M, Giordan N, Mazzoni G. Efficacy and safety of hyaluronic acid (500-730kDa) ultrasound-guided injections on painful tendinopathies: a prospective, open label, clinical study. Muscles Ligaments Tendons J. 2017;7(2):388–95.
Pascual-Garrido C, Rolón A, Makino A. Treatment of chronic patellar tendinopathy with autologous bone marrow stem cells: a 5-year-followup. Stem Cells Int. 2012;2012:953510.
Middleton KK, Barro V, Muller B, Terada S, Fu FH. Evaluation of the effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy involved in the healing of sports-related soft tissue injuries. Iowa Orthop J. 2012;32:150–63.
Creaney L, Hamilton B. Growth factor delivery methods in the management of sports injuries: the state of play. Br J Sports Med. 2008;42(5):314–20.
Nguyen RT, Borg-Stein J, McInnis K. Applications of platelet-rich plasma in musculoskeletal and sports medicine: an evidence-based approach. PM & R. 2011;3(3):226–50.
Jeong DU, Lee CR, Lee JH, et al. Clinical applications of platelet-rich plasma in patellar tendinopathy. Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:249498.
Liddle AD, Rodriguez-Merchin EC. Platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of patellar tendinopathy: a systematic review. Am J Sports Med. 2015;43(10):2583–2590.25524323.
Andriolo L, Altamura SA, Reale D, Candrian C, Zaffagnini S, Filardo G. Nonsurgical treatments of patellar tendinopathy: multiple injections of platelet-rich plasma are a suitable option: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Sports Med. 2019;47(4):1001–18.
Vetrano M, Castorina A, Vulpiani MC, Baldini R, Pavan A, Ferretti A. Platelet-rich plasma versus focused shock waves in the treatment of jumper’s knee in athletes. Am J Sports Med. 2013;41(4):795–803.
Filardo G, Kon E, Di Matteo B. Platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of patellar tendinopathy: clinical and imaging findings at medium-term follow-up. International Orthopaedics (SICOT). 2013;37:1583–9.
Charousset C, Zaoui A, Bellaiche L, Bouyer B. Are multiple platelet-rich plasma injections useful for treatment of chronic patellar tendinopathy in athletes? A prospective study. The Am J Sports Med. 2014;42(4):906–11.
Dragoo JL, Braun HJ, Durham JL, et al. Comparison of the acute inflammatory response of two commercial platelet-rich plasma systems in healthy rabbit tendons. Am J Sports Med. 2012;40(6):1274–81.
Scott A, LaPrade RF, Harmon KG, Filardo G, Kon E, Della Villa S, Bahr R, Moksnes H, Torgalsen T, Lee J, Dragoo JL, Engebretsen L. Platelet-rich plasma for patellar tendinopathy: a randomized controlled trial of leukocyte-rich PRP or leukocyte-poor PRP versus saline. Am J Sports Med. 2019;47(7):1654–61.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 ISAKOS
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kandil, R., Dragoo, J. (2022). Patellar Tendinopathy: Biologics. In: Filardo, G., Mandelbaum, B.R., Muschler, G.F., Rodeo, S.A., Nakamura, N. (eds) Orthobiologics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84744-9_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84744-9_17
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-84743-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-84744-9
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)