PRP added no measurable clinical benefits in nonoperative treatments of Achilles Tendon Rupture: study

Written By : Dr Supreeth D R Published On 2026-09-27T20:30:17+05:30 | Updated On 26 Sept 2026 7:18 PM IST

The Achilles tendon is the most robust tendon in the human body; yet ruptures of the Achilles tendon are prevalent. Their prevalence is greatest among middle-aged individuals, perhaps due to the increased participation of this demographic in sports. There is a huge controversy regarding the treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and whether it is associated with improvement in outcomes or not; therefore, Mohammed Alharbi conducted the current systematic review to investigate the evidence from published articles assessing the effectiveness of PRP in patients with Achilles tendon ruptures. The article has been published in ‘Indian Journal of Orthopaedics.’

This systematic review and meta-analysis were performed by searching for all eligible publications on PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus from their creation to November 2024. A search strategy based on three primary keywords and their corresponding Medical Subject Headings (MESH) terms: “Platelet-rich plasma” AND “Achilles tendon” AND “Rupture.” The authors systematically reviewed the included articles and a narrative synthesis of data was conducted to present the efficacy and safety parameters in addition to a summary of findings of the included studies.

The key findings of the study were:

• After screening, eight articles were included in the present systematic review.

• The studies provide a range of findings on the effectiveness of PRP in the treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures, with most research suggesting limited clinical benefit.

• In contrast, Zou et al. offered a differing perspective, suggesting that PRP may serve as a biological augmentation in surgical repair, potentially improving short- and mid-term outcomes.

• Overall, while some studies suggest possible short-term benefits, the majority do not support PRP as a valuable addition to Achilles tendon rupture treatment protocols.

The author concluded that – “From the systematic synthesis of the included studies, I observed controversial findings regarding the efficacy of PRP in the management of Achilles tendon ruptures with more data supporting no benefit. However, comprehensive data and strong evidence are still lacking to depend on in the use of PRP and its different types and constituents in the treatment process of Achilles tendon ruptures. This shows the importance of continued research to fill the gap in this area.”

For further details on the article refer to:

A Systematic Review on the Efficacy and Safety of Platelet-Rich Plasma in the Management of Achilles Tendon Rupture

Mohammed Alharbi

Indian Journal of Orthopaedics (2026) 60:599–611

https://doi.org/10.1007/s43465-025-01611-2

Achilles tendonRupturePlatelet-rich plasmaEfficacy

Source : Indian Journal of Orthopaedics

Dr Supreeth D R

MBBS, Dip. Ortho, DNB ortho, MNAMS

Dr Supreeth D R (MBBS, Dip. Ortho, DNB ortho, MNAMS) is a practicing orthopedician with interest in medical research and publishing articles. He completed MBBS from mysore medical college, dip ortho from Trivandrum medical college and sec. DNB from Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru. He has expirence of 7years in the field of orthopedics. He has presented scientific papers & posters in various state, national and international conferences. His interest in writing articles lead the way to join medical dialogues. He can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in.

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