More level 1 evidence that PRP is as good or better than a steroid injection for rotator cuff tendinopathy.

Even Low Dose PRP is as good or better than a steroid shot!

There is a new level 1 study the the Journal of Arthroscopy comparing steroid and PRP injections for partial thickness rotator cuff tears.

Results? At 3 months patients receiving PRP injection had significantly better function and pain relief. However at 1 year there was no difference between the two groups.

*Important Notes*

The PRP was made with Regenlabs in which 10cc of blood is made into 5.5cc of PRP. The PRP concentration is only 1.6x. Typically I draw 60cc of blood to make the same 5.5 cc of PRP so the concentration is nearly 6 times higher than Regenlabs.

Additionally, I still feel it is important to quantify EVERY PRP dose with whole blood and PRP analysis on a validated hematology machine at the point of care. Every patient gets a whole blood AND PRP eval with WBC with diff., RBC, and Platelet count. PRP with 6x the platelet and growth factor dose might show that PRP’s benefit is even better! There should be no additional cost to the patient of drawing 60cc versus 10cc of their own blood.

I commend Ian Lo, MD and his team on this work and showing that even a low dose PRP orthobiologic treatment is safe and at least as effective as a steroid treatment. We need more work like this!