Study Pain Relief and Shoulder Range of Motion after Injectable Platelet-rich Fibrin versus Platelet-rich Plasma Injection for Partial-thickness Rotator Cuff Tears: A Prospective Study.
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Orthopaedics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India.
- 2Department of Orthopaedics, School of Medical Sciences, Sri Satya Sai University of Technology and Medical Sciences, Sehore, Madhya Pradesh, India.
- 3Department of Orthopaedics, Paras Hospital and Medical Research Institute Hospital, Patna, Bihar, India.
- 4Department of General Surgery, School of Medical Sciences, Sri Satya Sai University of Technology and Medical Sciences, Sehore, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Abstract
Partial-thickness rotator cuff tears are a frequent cause of persistent shoulder pain and restricted motion after failure of conservative treatment. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and injectable platelet-rich fibrin are autologous orthobiological treatments, but comparative evidence in partial-thickness tears is limited. This study compared pain, shoulder range of motion, and functional outcomes after PRP and injectable platelet-rich fibrin injection. This prospective study was conducted at a tertiary teaching hospital in Andhra Pradesh, from June 2023 to December 2024. Fifty adults with magnetic resonance imaging-documented partial-thickness rotator cuff tears and persistent symptoms despite 3 months of conservative treatment were randomized equally to PRP or injectable platelet-rich fibrin. Pain and shoulder outcomes were assessed at baseline, 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year. At 1 year, injectable platelet-rich fibrin had lower visual analog scale scores than PRP (median 1.5 [IQR 1.0-2.5] vs. 2.5 [1.5-3.5]; P = 0.011). PRP had higher forward flexion (170° [160-180] vs. 140° [120-160]; P = 0.002), external rotation in neutral (70° [60-90] vs. 45° [40-60]; P = 0.001), external rotation at 90° abduction (70° [60-80] vs. 50° [40-60]; P = 0.002), and internal rotation at 90° abduction (60° [50-70] vs. 40° [30-50]; P = 0.002). PRP also showed higher American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons and University of California, Los Angeles scores and lower Shoulder Pain and Disability Index and Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand scores at 1 year. Both PRP and injectable platelet-rich fibrin were associated with improvement in pain, function, and shoulder motion. In this cohort, PRP showed better long-term functional and range-of-motion outcomes, while injectable platelet-rich fibrin showed greater long-term pain reduction. The findings should be interpreted cautiously because of baseline differences in age and several shoulder motion measures and the modest sample size.
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BibTeX
@article{dubey2026study,
title = {{Study Pain Relief and Shoulder Range of Motion after Injectable Platelet-rich Fibrin versus Platelet-rich Plasma Injection for Partial-thickness Rotator Cuff Tears: A Prospective Study.}},
author = {Samarth Dubey and P Mohamed Azlam and Divyanshu and Unais Bin Usman and Abhishek Singh},
journal = {Journal of orthopaedic case reports},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.13107/jocr.2026.v16.i11.8528},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997105},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Study Pain Relief and Shoulder Range of Motion after Injectable Platelet-rich Fibrin versus Platelet-rich Plasma Injection for Partial-thickness Rotator Cuff Tears: A Prospective Study.
AU - Samarth Dubey
AU - P Mohamed Azlam
AU - Divyanshu
AU - Unais Bin Usman
AU - Abhishek Singh
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/01
JO - Journal of orthopaedic case reports
DO - 10.13107/jocr.2026.v16.i11.8528
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997105
AB - Partial-thickness rotator cuff tears are a frequent cause of persistent shoulder pain and restricted motion after failure of conservative treatment. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and injectable platelet-rich fibrin are autologous orthobiological treatments, but comparative evidence in partial-thickness tears is limited. This study compared pain, shoulder range of motion, and functional outcomes after PRP and injectable platelet-rich fibrin injection. This prospective study was conducted at a tertiary teaching hospital in Andhra Pradesh, from June 2023 to December 2024. Fifty adults with magnetic resonance imaging-documented partial-thickness rotator cuff tears and persistent symptoms despite 3 months of conservative treatment were randomized equally to PRP or injectable platelet-rich fibrin. Pain and shoulder outcomes were assessed at baseline, 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year. At 1 year, injectable platelet-rich fibrin had lower visual analog scale scores than PRP (median 1.5 [IQR 1.0-2.5] vs. 2.5 [1.5-3.5]; P = 0.011). PRP had higher forward flexion (170° [160-180] vs. 140° [120-160]; P = 0.002), external rotation in neutral (70° [60-90] vs. 45° [40-60]; P = 0.001), external rotation at 90° abduction (70° [60-80] vs. 50° [40-60]; P = 0.002), and internal rotation at 90° abduction (60° [50-70] vs. 40° [30-50]; P = 0.002). PRP also showed higher American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons and University of California, Los Angeles scores and lower Shoulder Pain and Disability Index and Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand scores at 1 year. Both PRP and injectable platelet-rich fibrin were associated with improvement in pain, function, and shoulder motion. In this cohort, PRP showed better long-term functional and range-of-motion outcomes, while injectable platelet-rich fibrin showed greater long-term pain reduction. The findings should be interpreted cautiously because of baseline differences in age and several shoulder motion measures and the modest sample size.
SN - 2250-0685
SN - 2321-3817
ER -