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5919970 tn?1376695874

PRP INJECTION FOR SHOULDER TENDON.

About a month ago I had soreness in my left shoulder from training.  I had previously torn tendons in this shoulder and had arthroscopic surgery and repair for them in Sept 2011.   I was in an arm sling for 3-4 weeks followed by two months of physiotherapy.  Once again, I had an MRI in July this year which showed a chronic oblique full thickness tear of the supraspinatus tendon in extent and appearance to study of 20th of June 2011.  My orthopedic surgeon recommended PRP treatment as an option instead of surgery as he felt that the long term healing effect would be more beneficial than surgery.  I had the injection on the 5th of August this year and felt okay for about a week and on the 2nd week I started to get aching pain radiating down the back of the shoulder to the elbow.  I put this down to the healing process of the injected platelets and started treatment for healing with a naturopath who prescribed herbal anti-inflammatory tablets and MSM powder for pain.  It is now just on three weeks since the injection and studies have shown that it takes about 4-8 weeks for the pain to settle.  I am seeing my surgeon on the 13th of September to see if I need a follow-up injection.  Studies demonstrate that it can take 3-4 months for complete healing.  No more than 3 injections are recommended and if there is no appreciable healing, then surgery is the only option.

I am wondering if there is anyone on this site who has had good results from PRP (platelet rich plasma) treatment and if they had a certain amount of pain during the healing process, and how they dealt with the process physically and mentally.
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5919970 tn?1376695874
Dear Dr Mathur,  Thank you for replying to my post.  I am still experiencing quite a lot of pain four weeks post injection of PRP.  I am seeing my surgeon today and after having a conversation with him on the phone,he thinks he will probably go ahead with arthroscopic repair instead.  I would not recommend PRP treatment for everyone.  I think I had a lot of pain due to the fact that my supraspinatus tendon had quite a large tear which probably would have required more injections.  However, I am not willing to put up with the pain any more so i am hoping that the surgery will remedy the pain.  As there is quite a lot of inflammation the suprasternal nerve has been affected and I have been experiencing jabbing pains down my left arm to the elbow.  I have a lot of difficulty getting sleep and the surgeon has put me on Endone and Panadol for a few days until the surgery.
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351246 tn?1379682132
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL

Hi!
Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is being tried as an alternative to surgery in rotator cuff injuries and tendon injuries. However, it is still in experimental stage and nothing can be said with certainty whether it is better than other conservative methods.

Since it may be some time before the pain goes, other therapies should be combined like deep breathing, yoga, and physiotherapy to help deal with the pain. Hope this helps. Take care!

The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.
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