Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a platelet-rich plasma protein concentrate extracted from autologous peripheral blood, which contains a variety of blood-derived growth factors and cytokines. As an autologous blood product, PRP is widely used in many fields such as tissue repair and regeneration because of its minimally invasive process, simple preparation process and good biological properties. The acquisition of PRP is mainly achieved by collecting peripheral blood through density gradient centrifugation. Various growth factors and cytokines in PRP can repair various tissues. With the deepening of PRP research, it is now gradually applied to rotator cuff injury, lateral epicondylitis of humerus, carpal tunnel syndrome, knee joint injury, gluteal muscle tendinopathy, achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, and other soft tissue injuries, and some progress has been made. This article reviews the progress on clinical applications of PRP in chronic soft tissue injuries to provide a theoretical basis.
Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of extracorporeal shock wave therapy and local hormone injection for external humeral epicondylitis. Methods China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP, Wanfang, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library (with a search time range from the establishment of the databases to March 2026) were searched to collect all randomized controlled trials comparing extracorporeal shock wave therapy and local hormone injection for external humeral epicondylitis. RevMan 5.3 software was used for meta-analysis. Results A total of 8 randomized controlled trials were included. The meta-analysis results showed that compared with the hormone injection group, the extracorporeal shock wave group had lower grip strength [mean difference (MD)=?5.86 kg] after 1 month of treatment and lower pain scores (MD=?1.56) after 3 months of treatment (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in grip strength after 3 months of treatment and complication rate between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusions Compared with local hormone injection for external humeral epicondylitis, extracorporeal shock wave therapy can better alleviate pain without affecting grip strength 3 months after treatment and without increasing complications.