Marc Darrow MD,JD

I receive many emails about accelerating the healing of a surgically repaired tendon with stem cell therapy. These emails come from athletes or people who need to get back to work much faster than their surgical rehabilitation is allowing them to. Generally speaking stem cell therapy can be very successful in augmentation repair of a surgery. Of course each patient is unique and a consultation would be required to come up with a realistic healing program for that patient’s specific goals.

Preferably we would like to see the patient before the surgery to see if stem cell therapy and Platelet Rich Plasma injections can repair the Achilles tendon without the need for surgery. If the patient can avoid a surgery, then the patient can avoid the recovery that surgery requires.

A brief description of our treatments

• PRP treatments involve collecting a small amount of your blood and spinning it in a centrifuge to separate the platelets from the red cells. The collected platelets are then injected back into the injured area to stimulate healing and regeneration. Learn more about PRP treatments.
• Stem Cell Therapy is the injection of a damaged area of the body with stem cells that have been drawn from the patient’s own bone marrow. Stem cells are “de-differentiated pluripotent” cells, which means that they continue to divide to create more stem cells; these eventually “morph” into the tissue needing repair — for our purposes, collagen, bone, and cartilage.

These treatments may be effective in partial Achilles tendon tears or strengthening the other structures of the ankle / foot complex.

The patient experience. Is it a complete rupture or a partial rupture? Do I need the surgery? Do I NOT get the surgery? Different doctors give different recommendations

In the journal Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy, doctors give a report on what patients may hear in the consultation, treatment recommendation stage of their Achilles tendon injury: This report comes from questioning 91 surgeons.(1)

• The surgeons agreed on the importance of the physical examination in terms of diagnosis.
• The surgeons could not come up with a consensus on the value of diagnostic imaging (ultrasound/MRI) for Achilles tendon tears.
• There was consensus that non-surgical treatment is preferred for sedentary and and patients with degenerative damage
• There was agreement that surgery for patients who are younger and athletic and present with larger tendon gap sizes was preferred
• There was consensus on most of the non-surgical methods used:
  • Initial Immobilization or casting in a plaster cast with the foot in equinus position (toes point upward) and its gradual regression to lesser angles .
  • Only how long should the patient be immobilized for lacked consensus.
• While surgery was generally preferred, there was a lack of consensus on the entire followed protocol.
  • Orthopedic and trauma surgeons differed significantly on their surgical and suturing techniques and methods of postoperative Immobilization.
  • Orthopedic surgeons advised a significantly longer time until return to sport after both non-surgical treatment and surgery than trauma surgeons.

It is easy to see how a patient can be confused by all the different recommendations to have surgery, what type of surgery, or not have a surgery. It is also easy to see why many patients want to avoid surgery.

An independent review of PRP and stem cells in post-surgical recovery

Doctors at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have published a detailed paper in which they look at the realistic healing options a patient can expect after an Achilles Tendon rupture. Here is a brief summary of this research that was published in the medical journal Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine.(2)

• Problem: Healing Achilles tendons form a fibrovascular scar resulting in a tendon which may be mechanically weaker than the native tendon.
• The resulting strength deficit causes a high risk for reinjury and other complications.

PRP and stem cells to address these concerns

• Treatments using biologics (PRP, stem cells, and stem cell therapy in the form of bone marrow aspirate or bone marrow derived stem cell therapy are among these treatments) aim to restore the normal properties of the native tendon and reduce the risk of re-rupture and maximize tendon function.

Platelet-rich plasma

• In the early phase of ruptured Achilles tendon healing, PRP has been shown in animal; studies to increase early collagen production. Collagen being a building block of soft tissue as found in tendons.
• Ruptured rat Achilles tendons injected with PRP after surgery show an accelerate healing and promote a better functioning scar tissue.
• The potential benefits in humans were demonstrated in a case study of an athlete with a partial tear who received three PRP injections and no surgical intervention. He was able to return to playing in a full basketball game just 75 days after the injury and remained without complications 18 months later [3].
• An additional six athletes with ruptured Achilles tendons treated with PRP after surgery recovered their range of motion earlier and took less time to resume training as compared to athletes who underwent surgery without PRP treatment. These findings were supported by a review of 10 relevant studies [4] showing a strong positive effect of PRP after Achilles tendon rupture treatment.

Bone marrow aspirate

• Bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) is produced by density gradient centrifugation of bone marrow usually aspirated from the iliac crest. Its major function is to deliver mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to the injury site, and like PRP, BMAC is also rich in platelets and therefore growth factors
• A recent preclinical study found transected rat Achilles tendons injected with bone marrow cells display greater strength than tendons treated with other stem cells or control. By 28 days after surgery, the failure load (ability to withstand failure load) for rat Achilles tendons treated with bone marrow cells is equal to that of uninjured tendon [5].

Treating a ruptured Achilles Tendon: Comparing Platelet Rich Plasma therapy and Stem Cells.

In the medical journal Connective tissue research, (6)Turkish doctors examined laboratory rats who were injured to create and simulate an Achilles Tendon rupture.

The animals were then divided into three groups:

• A Platelet Rich Plasma treated group,
• a stem cell treated group,
• and a control group.

After thirty days the scientists found that: the levels of growth factors playing key roles in tendon recovery were significantly higher in the stem cell group than those of the PRP and control groups. The PRP group did show a promotion of healing, but not at the level of the stem cell group.

• The scientists summarized in their conclusion that: “The use of PRP and stem cells provides hope for the treatment of the Achilles tendon ruptures that limit human beings’ functionalities and quality of life, particularly for athletes. It is thought that the use of stem cells can be more effective for tendon healing.”

While studies are now coming out on stem cells and Achilles repair, the efficiency of PRP on Achilles tendon injuries has already been the subject of frequent research.

In the medical journal Foot and Ankle Surgery, doctors examined 83 Achilles tendons (73 patients, 59 males and 14 females; average age 43) affected by non-insertional CRAT or Chronic Recalcitrant Achilles Tendinopathies. These are difficult to treat cases.

• The patients were treated with a single PRP injection and evaluated with various scoring systems.
  • Seventy-six tendons (91.6%) were rated as satisfactory and patients would repeat the treatment.
  • Seven tendons (8.4%) were classified as unsatisfactory at the 6 months follow-up and underwent a second PRP injection.
  • In addition to this, patients reported no Achilles tendon rupture.(7)

A study by Mexican doctors published in the medical journal Acta ortopédica mexicana (8) found that Non-surgical treatment of Achilles tendinopathies and plantar fasciitis showed good results in up to 90% of cases. However for the remaining 10% of patients with these conditions, this represents a true challenge for the orthopedic surgeon. New technologies for the development of orthobiologic materials make it possible to use platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as an alternative to treat cases that have been refractory to prior treatment and that have a chronicity exceeding 12 months. . . .The use of PRP in patients with Achilles tendinopathy and plantar fasciitis is an effective and safe alternative for the management of patients with a poor response to conventional non-surgical treatment.”

A third study confirmed a positive long-term clinical outcome in patients affected by mid-portion Chronic Recalcitrant Achilles Tendinopathies treated with a single platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment.(9)

Can we help you?

People share their stories with us every day. Some have had dozens of physical therapy sessions, some have had more than a dozen of Iontophoresis, electric stimulation treatments. Some have had all these treatments and a few steroid shots and various applications of different kinesiology tapes too. Even after all this they are exploring our treatments because: “none of these worked long-term for me.” Use the form below to ask me your questions about your Achilles tendon problems.

Do you have questions? Ask Dr. Darrow

A leading provider of stem cell therapy, platelet rich plasma and prolotherapy
11645 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD SUITE 120, LOS ANGELES, CA 90025

PHONE: (800) 300-9300 or 310-231-7000

Stem cell and PRP injections for musculoskeletal conditions are not FDA approved. We do not treat disease. We do not offer IV treatments. There are no guarantees that this treatment will help you. Prior to our treatment, seek advice from your medical physician. Neither Dr. Darrow, nor any associate, offer medical advice from this transmission. This information is offered for educational purposes only. The transmission of this information does not create a physician-patient relationship between you and Dr. Darrow or any associate. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, usefulness or adequacy of any resource, information, product, or process available from this transmission. We cannot be responsible for the receipt of your email since spam filters and servers often block their receipt. If you have a medical issue, please call our office. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911.

References:

1 Dams OC, van den Akker-Scheek I, Diercks RL, Wendt KW, Zwerver J, Reininga IH. Surveying the management of Achilles tendon ruptures in the Netherlands: lack of consensus and need for treatment guidelines. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy. 2018:1-1.
2 Shapiro E, Grande D, Drakos M. Biologics in Achilles tendon healing and repair: a review. Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine. 2015;8(1):9-17. doi:10.1007/s12178-015-9257-z.
3 Filardo G, Presti ML, Kon E, Marcacci M. Nonoperative biological treatment approach for partial Achilles tendon lesion. Orthopedics. 2010 Feb 1;33(2).
4 Sadoghi P, Rosso C, Valderrabano V, Leithner A, Vavken P. The role of platelets in the treatment of Achilles tendon injuries. Journal of Orthopaedic Research. 2013 Jan;31(1):111-8.
5 Okamoto N, Kushida T, Oe K, Umeda M, Ikehara S, Iida H. Treating Achilles tendon rupture in rats with bone-marrow-cell transplantation therapy. JBJS. 2010 Dec 1;92(17):2776-84.
6 Yuksel S et al. Comparison of the early period effects of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and platelet-rich plasma on the Achilles tendon ruptures in rats. Connect Tissue Res. 2016 Sep;57(5):360-73. doi: 10.1080/03008207.2016.1189909. Epub 2016 May 18.
7 Guelfi M, Pantalone A, Vanni D, Abate M, et al. Long-term beneficial effects of platelet-rich plasma for non-insertional Achilles tendinopathy. Foot Ankle Surg. 2015 Sep;21(3):178-81. doi: 10.1016/j.fas.2014.11.005. Epub 2014 Dec 11.
8 López-Gavito E, Gómez-Carlín LA, Parra-Téllez P, Vázquez-Escamilla J. Platelet-rich plasma for managing calcaneus tendon tendinopathy and plantar fasciitis. Acta Ortop Mex. 2011 Nov-Dec;25(6):380-5.
9. Gaweda K, Tarczynska M, Krzyzanowski W. Treatment of Achilles tendinopathy with platelet-rich plasma. Int J Sports Med. 2010 Aug;31(8):577-83. Epub 2010 Jun 9. — 1854