Platelet-Rich Plasma Versus Corticosteroid Injection in Patients With Primary Frozen Shoulder: A Single-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.

This study has been identified as potentially high impact. OE's AI-driven High Impact metric estimates the influence a paper is likely to have by integrating signals from both the journal in which it is published and the scientific content of the article itself. Developed using state-of-the-art natural language processing, the OE High Impact model more accurately predicts a study's future citation performance than journal impact factor alone. This enables earlier recognition of clinically meaningful research and helps readers focus on articles most likely to shape future practice.

Study Summary

90 patients with primary frozen shoulder in the freezing stage were included in this prospective, single-blinded controlled trial in which patients were randomized to either receive ultrasound-guided (USG) platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection plus physical therapy, corticosteroid (CS) injection plus physical therapy, or normal saline (NS) injection plus physical therapy. Each participant received two USG injections into the glenohumeral joint and subacromial-subdeltoid bursa in addition to an 8-week standardized physical therapy program. The primary outcome of interest was the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI). The secondary outcomes of interest were the Shoulder Disability Questionnaire (SDQ), visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, active and passive range of motion (ROM), the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and 5-point Likert scale for patient self-assessment. Outcomes were assessed at baseline (T0), 1 (T1), 2 (T2), 4 (T3), and 6 (T4) months after treatment initiation. Overall, the results of the study revealed that all three groups improved significantly following treatment. However, the CS group demonstrated greater reductions in pain and disability, greater improvements in range of motion and quality of life, and higher patient satisfaction than the PRP and NS groups. These findings suggest that corticosteroid injections combined with physical therapy are more effective than PRP during the freezing stage of primary frozen shoulder.