[Treatment of rotator cuff lesions using autologous conditioned plasma-a systematic review].

Abstract

Background: Tendinopathies and rotator cuff tears account for significant medical costs in Germany and are driven by degenerative collagen changes. Despite multiple treatment options, no standard exists. This study examines PRP's growing use for pain relief and tissue healing in chronic tendinopathies.

Objective: Effect of subacromial PRP-injections on VAS pain in patients with chronic tendinopathies and partial ruptures of the rotator cuff.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted using PubMed, Livivo, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library. Only randomized controlled trials published up to September 2024 were included; they were evaluated per PRISMA guidelines (2020) and the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool.

Result: Seven RCTs (n = 612 patients) examined PRP injections for rotator cuff pathologies, comparing them to controls receiving saline (n = 1), physiotherapy (n = 2), hyaluronic acid/combo injections (n = 1), cortisone (n = 2), or prolotherapy/corticosteroid/lidocaine (n = 1). The PRP group showed a significant VAS pain reduction in the 3‑month follow-up compared to the baseline measurement. The intergroup comparison revealed heterogeneous patterns of significance.

Conclusion: This study provides moderate evidence that PRP may be preferred over other interventions, but may be effective as an additional treatment option. However, further high-quality single intervention placebo-control studies with a larger number of participants are needed to validate this result.