Abstract
BACKGROUND: Rotator cuff tendinopathy is a primary cause of shoulder pain and dysfunction. Several effective nonsurgical treatment methods have been described for chronic rotator cuff tendinopathy. Prolotherapy with polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), which consists of active deoxyribonucleotide polymers that stimulate tissue repair, is a nonsurgical regenerative injection that may be a viable treatment option. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of PDRN in the treatment of chronic rotator cuff tendinopathy. METHOD: The records of patients with chronic rotator cuff tendinopathy (n=131) were reviewed retrospectively, and the patients treated with PDRN prolotherapy (n=32) were selected. We measured the main outcome of the shoulder pain and disability index score on a numerical rating scale of average shoulder pain. RESULTS: Compared with baseline data, significant improvements in the shoulder pain and disability index and pain visual analog scale scores were demonstrated at one week after the end of treatment, and at one month and three months later. CONCLUSIONS: PDRN prolotherapy may improve the conservative treatment of painful rotator cuff tendinopathy for a specific subset of patients.