Authors' objectives: To determine whether there is any evidence on the effectiveness of Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy (PRP) in treating shoulder labral tears.

Authors' results and conclusions: There are three studies reporting on the efficacy of PRP for the treatment of shoulder labral tears. For the two studies with outcomes, there appears to be improvement of pain outcomes compared to preintervention levels. In all studies, there was ambiguity in the population/intervention as well as methodological challenges which affected the interpretation of the results. In Kirscher et al, (2022), the severity and damage to the glenohumeral joint were not stratified. This paper examined glenohumeral arthritis which generally does not need surgical repair. However, at higher severity, degenerative labral tears develop. In this paper, the level of tearing in the glenohumeral joint was not available but was included as the PRP intervention was administered directly into the glenohumeral joint. In Lo et al, (2016), the results point towards the efficacy of PRP in treatment of shoulder labral tears, but the lack of control group makes isolating PRP’s individual effects from the role of the co-intervention, acellular human dermal allograft, remains difficult. Zhang et al., (2016), illustrated the use of PRP injections into the glenohumeral joint. However, severity of tears in the glenohumeral joint was not reported. Furthermore, no pain outcomes data were reported. As two of the studies were a case study and retrospective claims review respectively, no control group was available leading to selection bias. While the three above studies showed PRP improved pain outcomes compared to pre-intervention levels, it did not improve pain outcomes compared to other interventions. It should be noted that selection bias, potential positive effect of co-intervention, lack of comparators, and methodological inconsistencies cannot be excluded from the reported outcomes. Therefore, there is no conclusive evidence reporting on the efficacy of PRP in the treatment of shoulder labral tears.

Authors' methods: A systematic literature search was started on May 1, 2024. This literature search was conducted on commercial medical literature databases. The search was done by employing combinations of keywords. No other limitations on were implemented in any of these searches. A manual search was also planned and conducted on the references of the articles that were retrieved in full.

Project Status: Completed

URL for project: https://www.worksafebc.com/en/about-us/research-services/evidence-based-medicine-and-systematic-reviews

Year Published: 2024

URL for published report: https://www.worksafebc.com/en/resources/health-care-providers/guides/effectiveness-platelet-rich-plasma-therapy-treating-shoulder-labral-tears?lang=en&origin=s&returnurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.worksafebc.com%2Fen%2Fforms-resources%23sort%3DDate%26q%3DEffectiveness%2520of%2520Platelet%2520Rich%2520Plasma%2520Therapy%2520(PRP)%2520in%2520Treating%2520Shoulder%2520Labral%2520Tears%26f%3Alanguage-facet%3D%5BEnglish%5D%26tags%3DGuide%7C2d7eb4b30f6a4a319e0d40565c9abbab%2CHealth%2520Care%2520Provider%7C13468b0b3f074f6bade3f57ac3cdfb8e%2CSystematic%2520Review%7Cf78c29d570c14ec3b5a394385905df70&highlight=Effectiveness%20of%20Platelet%20Rich%20Plasma%20Therapy%20(PRP)%20in%20Treating%20Shoulder%20Labral%20Tears

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Mini HTA

Country: Canada

Organisation Name: WorkSafeBC

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Contact Name: ebpg@worksafebc.com

Contact Email: ebpg@worksafebc.com

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