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1408 - Case Report of a Female Collegiate Athlete Using PRP for Tibia Fracture

Friday, February 28, 2025

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM MST

Presenting Author(s)

GJ

Gabrielle Jeifa, MPH

Student
Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Woodbury, New York, United States
JD

Joseph DiPetto, BS

Medical Student
Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Lynchburg, Virginia, United States

Corresponding Author(s)

SD

Stephen Despins, DO

Assistant Professor
Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Lynchburg, Virginia, United States

Case Diagnosis: Subcortical Fracture of the Lateral Tibia

Case Description: A 20-year-old female collegiate soccer player with a previous subcortical fracture of the lateral tibia sustained during athletics presented with ongoing knee pain. Eight months post-injury, an MRI revealed small effusion and associated capsulitis, though the fracture was healed. Initial management with osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMT) provided partial symptom relief, but further intervention was required for the patient to safely return to competitive soccer. Given the patient’s age, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy was selected. A single intra-articular injection of 6 mL PRP was administered into the knee joint, specifically between the quadriceps tendon and Hoffa’s fat pad. Two weeks after the injection, the patient expectedly reported mild residual soreness but showed progressive improvement in symptoms in the subsequent weeks.

Discussions: Despite initial soreness following PRP treatment, the patient reported significantly less pain post-healing compared to pre-treatment levels and was able to return to athletics. While the effectiveness of PRP has been demonstrated in conditions such as osteoarthritis, epicondylitis, and other ligamentous injuries in sports medicine, its use in subcortical tibial fractures remains under-explored. The anti-inflammatory and tissue repair properties of PRP, mediated by growth factors like TGF-β and various interleukins, may provide a therapeutic benefit in similar cases.

Conclusions: This case suggests that PRP therapy may be an effective, non-invasive alternative for managing tibial fractures in young athletes. Further research is needed to validate these findings and to assess the broader applicability of PRP in treating subcortical tibial fractures.