Autologous Blood Injection to Treat Achilles Tendinopathy? A Randomized Controlled Trial

Context: Achilles tendinopathy is a common and often debilitating condition, and autologous blood injection is a promising treatment option. Objective: To determine whether autologous blood injection added to standard management was effective in alleviating symptoms of Achilles tendinopathy. Design: A prospective randomized controlled trial. Setting: Private sports medicine clinic. Patients: 33 patients (18 women, 15 men) of mean age 50 y (SD 9) with 40 cases of Achilles tendinopathy of mean duration of 11 mo (SD 7). Intervention: Participants were randomized to blind peritendinous autologous blood injection added to standard treatment (eccentric-loading exercises) or standard treatment alone for 12 wk. Main Outcome Measure: Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment for Achilles (VISA-A) score and ratings of discomfort during and after the injection were measured at baseline and 6 and 12 wk. Analytically derived effect-size thresholds of 5 (small) and 15 (moderate) VISA-A units were used as the reference va...