I want to focus this article on recent research surrounding the use of Platelet Rich Plasma injections into the shoulder to repair tendon damage.
The concept behind the treatment is that these growth factors will facilitate a repair.
A September 2021 Editorial in the journal Arthroscopy (3) offers this opinion of the effectiveness of PRP injections into the shoulder
“. . . PRP delivers a high concentration of growth factors, cytokines, and other important inflammatory modulators. Its use is appealing for treating partial-thickness rotator cuff tears, subacromial bursitis, and rotator cuff tendinopathy since rotator cuff tendons often have poor healing capacity due to intrinsic degeneration. PRP has been shown to increase cell proliferation and matrix synthesis in tenocytes, which may aid tendon regeneration and healing.
Adult tendons also contain a small amount of tendon progenitor cells, which can be induced to an active state by PRP. (PRP may initiate healing by awakening progenitor or “stem cells”) In addition, PRP is an autologous biologic agent and easy to acquire and administer in an outpatient clinical setting. Clinical studies continue to lag and are often heterogenous (not consistant) in quality and in results. . . Clinicians should remain cautiously optimistic about the future role of PRP injections in the shoulder.”
References
1 Pritem AR, Abraham VT, Krishnagopal R. Early Clinical and Functional Outcome of Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy of the Shoulder Treated with Platelet Rich Plasma Injection. Malaysian Orthopaedic Journal. 2021 Jul;15(2):55.
3 Carr, James B. “Editorial Commentary: Platelet-Rich Plasma Shows Promise for Improving Shoulder Tendinopathy.” (2021): 2754-2755.
6 Ortega-Castillo M, Cuesta-Vargas A, Luque-Teba A, Trinidad-Fernández M. The role of progressive, therapeutic exercise in the management of upper limb tendinopathies: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Musculoskeletal Science and Practice. 2022 Aug 8:102645. [Google Scholar]
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