Ultrasound-guided subacromial injections of sodium hyaluronate for the management of rotator cuff tendinopathy

Ultrasound-guided subacromial injections of sodium hyaluronate for the management of rotator cuff tendinopathy: a prospective comparative study with rehabilitation therapy.

Article specifications

This clinical trial was published in 2013 in Journal of Musculoskelet Surg. (IF 2015:1.81) by Italian specialists. The aim of this study was to compare the results of subacromial sodium hyaluronate injections with rehabilitation therapy. 48 patients (M/F: 26/22; mean age: 50 years; shoulder right/left: 29/19) with persistent shoulder pain for at least 4 months.

 

Result

Reduction in overall pain in the HA group was statistically significant at week 2, week 4, week 12 comparing to baseline. Subacromial HA injections could be an effective and safe alternative treatment for patients suffering from RC tendinopathy. We believe that the results of this study are encouraging but not lasting and we might suppose that a series of three to four subacromial sodium hyaluronate injections could provide good mid- and long-term clinical benefits.