SynthesisKnee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA2026
Platelet-rich plasma provides modest but durable functional benefit over corticosteroid for rotator cuff tendinopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Platelet-rich plasma provides modest but durable functional benefit over corticosteroid for rotator cuff tendinopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2026Pooled it
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
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Abstract
purposeTo compare platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and corticosteroid (CS) injections in rotator cuff tendinopathy and partial-thickness tears.
methodsA systematic review was conducted. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of adults (≥18 years) with rotator cuff tendinopathy or partial tears comparing PRP with CS injections. Primary outcomes were pain, patient-reported outcome scores and adverse events. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed using mean difference (MD) or risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
resultsTen RCTs (n = 591) were included. At 3- to 6-week and 3-month follow-up, pain and patient-reported outcomes did not differ significantly between groups. At 6 months, PRP demonstrated clearer benefits. PRP improved American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score (ASES) (MD + 10.8, 95% CI: 4.71-16.80, p = 0.0005) and Constant-Murley score (CMS) (MD + 10.7, 95% CI: 1.21-20.27, p = 0.027). Pain reduction at 6 months favoured PRP (pain visual analogue scale [VAS] MD -0.8, 95% CI: -1.45 to -0.18, p = 0.012). PRP was associated with fewer adverse events (RR 0.66, 95% CI: 0.44-0.99, p = 0.047).
conclusionsPRP injections offer statistically significant, although clinically modest, improvements in pain and shoulder function compared with CS injections and are associated with fewer adverse events at 6 months. Taken together, these findings suggest that PRP may serve as a more durable treatment option for patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I.
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