ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT07714811Updated Jul 20, 2026

Hyaluronic Acid Versus Platelet-Rich Plasma for Chronic Tendinopathy and Enthesopathy

An interventional study of Hyaluronic acid injection and Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection in Tendinopathy, Enthesopathy and Achilles Tendinopathy, sponsored by Ortonika Orthopedic Medical Clinic in Lublin. Recruiting at 1 site in Poland. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-20.

Primary conditionElbow TendinopathyRegistry: TendinopathyReclassifiedWhy we changed it
Registry
Tendinopathy — the first condition term the registry derived for this study.
ClinicalTrials.gg
Elbow Tendinopathy
Why
  1. The study's listed conditions name Elbow Tendinopathy, a narrower term within Tendinopathy.
Confidence
High: the new condition is named in the study's own listed conditions. Of 351 hand-checked studies reclassified this way, 68% were exactly right and 84% in the right disease family; the registry's first term was right for 5% (measured 2026-10-21). How we classify →
Wrong?
Tell us the study's main condition →

Sponsored by Ortonika Orthopedic Medical Clinic in Lublin · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Jun 2026; still recruiting 5 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
80
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Chronic tendinopathies and enthesopathies are common musculoskeletal conditions in orthopedics and sports medicine, frequently leading to pain, impaired function, and significantly reduced quality of life. Their pathogenesis involves tissue degeneration and ineffective repair response, often without an active inflammatory process.

Standard conservative management based on physiotherapy and activity modification is often prolonged and not always satisfactory. Minimally invasive injectable interventions supporting tendon and enthesis regeneration represent a promising alternative due to their favorable safety profile and outpatient feasibility.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan naturally present in connective tissues. In the context of tendinopathy, it is thought to modulate inflammatory processes, provide mechanical protection by reducing friction and adhesion within the tendon sheath, and support the proper organization of collagen fibers in the tendon matrix.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous concentrate of platelets providing high local concentrations of growth factors, including platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which initiate and support repair processes, cellular proliferation, and angiogenesis.

This prospective, randomized, open-label, two-arm study aims to compare the clinical efficacy of hyaluronic acid (HA) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections in 80 participants with chronic Achilles tendinopathy or medial epicondylopathy of the elbow. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either two HA injections or two PRP injections administered two weeks apart under ultrasonographic guidance. Follow-up will continue for 12 months after the second injection. The primary outcomes are the changes from baseline to 6 months in pain intensity measured using a 100-millimeter (mm) Visual Analog Scale (VAS), upper-limb function measured using the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) questionnaire in participants with medial epicondylopathy, and Achilles tendon symptoms and function measured using the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-Achilles (VISA-A) questionnaire in participants with Achilles tendinopathy. The results will provide evidence to support the selection of injectable treatment for chronic tendinopathies and enthesopathies.

02

Conditions studied

  • Tendinopathy
  • Enthesopathy
  • Achilles Tendinopathy
  • Golfer's Elbow
  • Medial Epicondylitis

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Keywords

  • PRP
  • hyaluronic acid
  • tendinopathy
  • enthesopathy
  • Achilles tendon
  • epicondylopathy
  • platelet-rich plasma
  • intratendinous injection
03

In context

Elbow Tendinopathy Reclassified

26 studies on the registry are indexed under Elbow Tendinopathy; 9 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 80 is above the median of 40 across 23 interventional studies indexed under Elbow Tendinopathy.

Browse Elbow Tendinopathy studies →

Lead sponsor

This is the only study on the registry with Ortonika Orthopedic Medical Clinic in Lublin as lead sponsor.

Compared within Elbow Tendinopathy, this study's primary condition as ClinicalTrials.gg classifies it; the registry's first condition term is Tendinopathy. The counts are of registry records indexed under each term, refreshed daily. How we classify →

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Chronic tendinopathy or enthesopathy of the Achilles tendon or tendon insertion in the elbow region (medial epicondylopathy, so-called golfer's elbow)
  • Symptom duration exceeding 3 months
  • Pain intensity of at least 40 millimeters (mm) on a 100-mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
  • Age 18-65 years
  • Signed written

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Previous surgical treatment of the studied tendon or tendon insertion
  • Prior injection of , -rich plasma (PRP), or hyaluronic acid into the area being studied within 3 months before enrollment
  • Active systemic or local infection at the planned injection site
  • Systemic inflammatory or disease involving the joints, including rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, or systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • (BMI) of 40 kilograms per square meter (kg/m²) or greater
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(5)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

Platelets

Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.

Autoimmune disease

A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.

Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
80 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Arm 1 - Hyaluronic Acid (HA)

    Two peritendinous or intratendinous injections of hyaluronic acid (HA), containing 32 milligrams (mg) of sodium hyaluronate in 2 milliliters (mL) per injection, administered two weeks apart under ultrasonographic guidance.

    Device: Hyaluronic acid injection

  • Experimental
    Arm 2 - Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)

    Two peritendinous or intratendinous injections of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP), administered two weeks apart under ultrasonographic guidance.

    Device: Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection

Interventions

  • DeviceHyaluronic acid injection

    Assigned to: Arm 1

  • DeviceAutologous Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection

    Assigned to: Arm 2

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Mean Change From Baseline in Pain Intensity Measured Using the 100-Millimeter Visual Analog Scale at 6 Months

    Pain intensity will be measured using a 100-millimeter (mm) Visual Analog Scale (VAS), ranging from 0 mm, indicating no pain, to 100 mm, indicating the worst imaginable pain. The outcome will be the mean change in VAS score from baseline to 6 months after the second injection. A decrease in score indicates improvement.

    Time frame: Baseline and 6 months after the second injection

  2. Mean Change From Baseline in the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Score at 6 Months

    Upper-limb symptoms and function will be assessed using the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) questionnaire in participants with medial epicondylopathy. The total score ranges from 0 to 100 points, with higher scores indicating greater disability. The outcome will be the mean change from baseline to 6 months after the second injection. A decrease in score indicates improvement.

    Time frame: Baseline and 6 months after the second injection

  3. Mean Change From Baseline in the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-Achilles Score at 6 Months

    Symptoms and function associated with Achilles tendinopathy will be assessed using the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-Achilles (VISA-A) questionnaire in participants with Achilles tendinopathy. The total score ranges from 0 to 100 points, with higher scores indicating better function and fewer symptoms. The outcome will be the mean change from baseline to 6 months after the second injection. An increase in score indicates improvement.

    Time frame: Baseline and 6 months after the second injection

Secondary outcomes

  1. Mean Change From Baseline in Pain Intensity Measured Using the 100-Millimeter Visual Analog Scale at 1, 3, and 12 Months

    Pain intensity will be measured using a 100-millimeter (mm) Visual Analog Scale (VAS), ranging from 0 mm, indicating no pain, to 100 mm, indicating the worst imaginable pain. Mean changes from baseline will be assessed separately at 1, 3, and 12 months after the second injection. A decrease in score indicates improvement.

    Time frame: Baseline and 1, 3, and 12 months after the second injection

  2. Mean Change From Baseline in the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Score at 1, 3, and 12 Months

    Upper-limb symptoms and function will be assessed using the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) questionnaire in participants with medial epicondylopathy. The total score ranges from 0 to 100 points, with higher scores indicating greater disability. Mean changes from baseline will be assessed separately at 1, 3, and 12 months after the second injection. A decrease in score indicates improvement.

    Time frame: Baseline and 1, 3, and 12 months after the second injection

  3. Mean Change From Baseline in the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-Achilles Score at 1, 3, and 12 Months

    Symptoms and function associated with Achilles tendinopathy will be assessed using the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-Achilles (VISA-A) questionnaire in participants with Achilles tendinopathy. The total score ranges from 0 to 100 points, with higher scores indicating better function and fewer symptoms. Mean changes from baseline will be assessed separately at 1, 3, and 12 months after the second injection. An increase in score indicates improvement.

    Time frame: Baseline and 1, 3, and 12 months after the second injection

  4. Time From the Second Injection to Return to the Pre-Injury Level of Physical Activity

    The number of days from the second injection to the first documented return to the participant's pre-injury level of physical activity without activity restrictions will be recorded. Participants who do not return to their pre-injury activity level during follow-up will be considered not to have experienced the event by the end of the 12-month follow-up period.

    Time frame: From the second injection through 12 months of follow-up

  5. Number of Participants With Adverse Events, Serious Adverse Events, or Adverse Device Effects

    The number and percentage of participants experiencing one or more adverse events (AEs), serious adverse events (SAEs), or adverse device effects (ADEs) will be reported. Events will be assessed according to their type, severity, seriousness, and relationship to the administered intervention.

    Time frame: From the first injection through 12 months after the second injection

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Ortonika Orthopedic Medical Clinic in Lublin
    Lublin, Lublin Voivodeship 20-841, Poland
    Recruiting
    • Tomasz Wnuk, MD, PhD · Contacttomashorto@gmail.com · +48 538 360 332
    • Tomasz Wnuk, MD, PhD · Principal investigator
    • Piotr Przybylski, MD, PhD · Sub investigator
    • Mateusz Matyjaszczyk, MD · Sub investigator
    • Przemysław Golonka, MD · Sub investigator
    • Damian Borys, MD · Sub investigator
    • Beata Krupska, MSc · Sub investigator
    • Emilia Antoniewska, MSc · Sub investigator
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 20, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07714811
Lead sponsor
Ortonika Orthopedic Medical Clinic in Lublin
Responsible party
Tomasz Wnuk, MD, PhD (Principal Investigator, Ortonika Orthopedic Medical Clinic in Lublin) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jul 20, 2026
Start date
Jun 10, 2026
Primary completion
Jun 2028 (estimated)
Completion
Jun 2028 (estimated)
Last update
Jul 20, 2026

Study contacts

Tomasz Wnuk, MD, PhD
Contact
tomashorto@gmail.com
+48 538 360 332
Tomasz Wnuk, MD, PhD
principal investigator · Ortonika Orthopedic Medical Clinic

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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