A Randomized Control Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of Autologous Blood Injection Versus Local Corticosteroid Injection for Treatment of Lateral Epicondylitis

Lateral epicondylitis, is a common problem encountered in the orthopaedic practice. Histopathological reports have shown that lateral epicondylitis is not an inflammatory process but a degenerative condition termed 'tendinosis'. Beneficial effects of local corticosteroid infiltration have sound lack of scientific rationale, since surgical specimens show lack of any inflammatory process. Recently an injection of "autologous blood injection" has been reported to be effective for both intermediate and long term outcomes. It is hypothesized that blood contains platelet derived growth factor induce fibroblastic mitosis and chemotactic polypeptides such as transforming growth factor cause fibroblasts to migrate and specialize and have been found to induce healing cascade. The objective of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of autologous blood injection versus local corticosteroid injection in the management of lateral epicondylitis.