Clinical and functional outcome comparison for platelet-rich plasma with steroid injection in patients with isolated subacromial impingement syndrome

Objective: The objective of this study is to compare the 6-weeks, 3-, and 6-month outcome in 80 patients who received an injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or steroid for subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS). Materials and Methods: Forty-two males and 38 females received a single-dose injection of PRP (n = 40) or steroid (n = 40) for SIS that had not responded to conservative treatment for more than 6 months. Both groups were put on physiotherapy protocol followed in our institution. The use of nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs was prohibited. Patients were evaluated before and 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months after treatment using the constant score, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, and range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder. Results: No local or systemic complication occurred. Improvement in the Constant score and VAS for pain at 6 weeks, 3-, and 6-months was clinically better following steroid than PRP injection. However, this difference was statistically insignificant. The two groups were comparable for improvement in ROM of the shoulder. Conclusion: PRP injection was not more effective than steroid injection for the treatment of SIS in terms of at the end of 6 months. However, long-term studies should be indicated to substantiate the findings.