Treatment of the Rotator Cuff Disease With Platelet Rich Plasma Injection

Not Applicable

Completed

Conditions: Subacromial Impingement Syndrome
Partial Thickness Rotator Cuff Tear

Interventions: Drug: corticosteroid injection
Biological: platelet rich plasma injection

Brief Summary: The purpose of this investigator initiated study is to clinically evaluate the efficacy of a new treatment for subacromial impingement syndrome and partial thickness rotator cuff tears. This treatment consists of a platelet rich plasma injection into and around the rotator cuff. It is thought that this treatment will dramatically improve outcomes for patients suffering from these two conditions.

Subjects will be randomized by choosing a slip of paper from an envelope. This process will randomize 25 patients to the experimental group, and 25 patients to the control. The experimental group will undergo a blood draw, allowing for an injection of platelet rich plasma around the rotator cuff. The control group will undergo a corticosteroid injection into the subacromial space surrounding the rotator cuff as sole treatment. Patients will be followed for three months for pain, and will fill out questionnaires at six weeks and three months post injection, which will give insight into functionality and pain changes that the rotator cuff is experiencing due to treatment.

Subjects will be outpatients. Subjects may include employees, students, minorities, and elderly, although no subsets of these will be formed.

Subjects will be between 18 and 89 years of age.

In total, subject participation will last approximately 3 months.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Patients presenting with rotator cuff symptoms for at least 4 weeks
Examination reveals diffuse pain with provocative maneuvers
Impingement symptoms with or without a partial thickness tear (if available MRI study must be less than 50% tear)
Willingness to participate in an investigational technique
Willingness to forgo any other concomitant conservative treatment modality including NSAID (must be stopped for at least one week)

Exclusion Criteria

Previous rotator cuff repair
Complete rotator cuff tear or two tendon tears
Pt w/ complex regional pain syndrome
Cervical neuropathy or other nerve pathology
RA, local or systemic infection, PVD, metabolic disease such as gout, clotting disorder, anticoagulation therapy
Evidence of intraarticular arthritis
Work related or compensable injury
Previous treatment: corticosteroid injection in the last 6 months
Patients who are currently pregnant

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
control	corticosteroid injection	corticosteroid injection into subacromial space
experimental	platelet rich plasma injection	patients will receive an injection of platelet rich plasma into the subacromial space

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Pain and Disability of the Shoulder Through Validated Questionnaires	15 minutes prior to initial injection of corticosteroid versus platelet rich plasma	Patients will be asked to fill out questionnaires to provide insight into how their condition is progressing, consisting of components of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) total score. The maximum score is 100, made up by pain and function components' sums. Only the total score is recorded, 100 being full normal function without pain, 0 being severe pain and no function.

Secondary Outcome Measures