Outcomes of iliac crest bone marrow aspirate injection for the treatment of recalcitrant Achilles tendinopathy.

BACKGROUND

Achilles tendinopathy is a common cause of posterior ankle and heel pain in both active and sedentary patients. Though the majority of patients respond to first-line non-operative management including activity modification, immobilization, orthotics, and physical therapy with stretching and eccentric strengthening, there is no consensus for patients who fail these treatments. We evaluate the role of iliac crest bone marrow aspirate (BMA) injections as a treatment option for recalcitrant cases.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review was conducted of patients with refractory Achilles tendinopathy treated with iliac crest BMA concentrate injection. Symptoms were assessed using the numeric rating system (NRS) pain score at the pre-operative visit and at six, 12, 24, and 48 weeks postoperatively. Post-operative complications were recorded.

RESULTS

A total of 15 patients (15 feet) with recalcitrant Achilles tendinopathy (5 insertional, 8 non-insertional, 2 combined) treated with iliac crest BMA concentrate injections were included in the study. Average age was 53.2 years (range, 25 to 64), average BMI was 27.1 kg/m2 (range, 18.4 to 34.4), and average duration of symptoms prior to BMA injection was 2.3 years (range, 1 to 7). Pre-operatively, average NRS was 6.26 (95% CI, 5.04 to 7.49), with significant improvement at six weeks (mean, 4.26; 95% CI, 2.94 to 5.59; p = 0.04), ten weeks (mean, 4.13; 95% CI, 2.91 to 5.35; p = 0.012), 24 weeks (mean, 3.40; 95% CI, 2.05 to 4.75; p = 0.03), and 48 weeks (mean, 2.60; 95% CI, 1.14 to 4.06; p = 0.007) post-operatively. Overall, there was trending improvement over the 48-week follow-up period, with a mean improvement in NRS of - 3.22 (95% CI, - 1.06 to - 5.38; p = 0.007) at final follow-up. There was no discernable difference between insertional and non-insertional tendinopathy, and there were no incidences of post-operative complications.

CONCLUSION

Iliac crest BMA appears to be a safe, effective, and potentially lasting treatment option for patients with intractable, insertional and non-insertional Achilles tendinopathy. Patients demonstrated and maintained statistically significant decrease in NRS pain score post-operatively with no complications at the donor or injection site.