Effects of hypertonic dextrose injection in chronic supraspinatus tendinopathy of the shoulder: a randomized placebo-controlled trial

Thirty-one patients with chronic supraspinatus tendinopathy were randomized to receive an injection into the supraspinatus tendon insertion site with either 5mL hypertonic dextrose or normal saline. The primary outcomes of interest were pain as measured on a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Shoulder Pain and Disability index (SPADI). Secondary outcomes of interest included range of motion, supraspinatus thickness and echogenicity. Follow up was performed 2 weeks and 6 weeks post-injection. The results of the study revealed significantly favourable VAS pain scores, SPADI scores, range of motion in flexion and range of motion in abduction in the dextrose group compared to the placebo group 2 weeks after injection. No significant differences were observed between the two groups in all outcomes, 6 weeks post-injection.