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PRP Provides Pain Relief for Patients with Rotator Cuff Lesions
Rotator cuff injuries are a common cause of shoulder pain and functional impairment, affecting millions of individuals across the world. Traditionally, treatment options for rotator cuff injuries have included physical therapy, medications, and surgery. However, emerging regenerative medicine therapies like Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) have gained attention for their potential to enhance healing and promote tissue repair.
The rotator cuff is a group of four tendons that surround the shoulder joint, providing stability and enabling various shoulder movements. Rotator cuff injuries can occur due to overuse, trauma, or degenerative changes. Common symptoms include shoulder pain, weakness, limited range of motion, and difficulty performing daily activities.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy involves extracting a patient's blood, isolating and concentrating the platelet component, and injecting it into the injured area. Platelets contain growth factors and other bioactive molecules that promote tissue healing and regeneration. Research studies have explored the potential benefits of PRP in rotator cuff injuries, demonstrating that PRP injections significantly improved pain, function, and patient satisfaction in individuals with chronic rotator cuff tendinopathy. Furthermore, it has been shown that PRP injections enhanced tendon healing and improved functional outcomes in patients with rotator cuff tears. A randomized, double-blind, controlled study utilizing a Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (DI) demonstrated that PRP provided significant pain relief in patients with rotator cuff disease. At the 6-month follow-up, the DI had a mean of 17.7 for PRP patients while patients that received dry-needling had a mean of 29.5.
Rotator cuff injuries can significantly impact an individual's quality of life, hindering their ability to perform routine activities. While conservative treatments like physical therapy remain the cornerstone of management, Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy shows promise as an adjunctive treatment for enhancing healing and improving outcomes in rotator cuff injuries.
Sources:
Jo CH, Shin JS, Lee YG, Shin WH, Kim H, Lee SY, Yoon KS, Shin S. Platelet-rich plasma for arthroscopic repair of large to massive rotator cuff tears: a randomized, single-blind, parallel-group trial. Am J Sports Med. 2013 Oct;41(10):2240-8. doi: 10.1177/0363546513497925. Epub 2013 Aug 6. PMID: 23921338.
Jo CH, Shin JS, Shin WH, Lee SY, Yoon KS, Shin S. Platelet-rich plasma for arthroscopic repair of medium to large rotator cuff tears: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Sports Med. 2015 Sep;43(9):2102-10. doi: 10.1177/0363546515587081. Epub 2015 May 26. Erratum in: Am J Sports Med. 2016 Jan;44(1):NP3. PMID: 26015443.
A Hamid MS, Sazlina SG. Platelet-rich plasma for rotator cuff tendinopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2021 May 10;16(5):e0251111. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251111. PMID: 33970936; PMCID: PMC8109792.
Rha DW, Park GY, Kim YK, Kim MT, Lee SC. Comparison of the therapeutic effects of ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma injection and dry needling in rotator cuff disease: a randomized controlled trial. Clin Rehabil. 2013 Feb;27(2):113-22. doi: 10.1177/0269215512448388. Epub 2012 Oct 3. PMID: 23035005.
