We get a lot of emails from people looking at their rotator cuff options. The emails we get center around the possibilities that a surgery can be avoided with regenerative medicine injection options such as stem cell therapy or Platelet Rich Plasma therapy or PRP. There is some new research I will explore with you here on these options.

We know that some people, like someone with a physically demanding job or an athlete, will make their decision as to how to treat their rotator cuff problems based on what treatment they believe will get them back to their job or sport the quickest. This is the great appeal of surgery to some. These people believe that surgery is the fastest way back and they have a lot of confidence that the surgery will make them whole again.

One of the great ironies of rotator cuff surgery is that the patients believe it will work for them more than the surgeons believe it will work for them. So these people proceed with the surgery anyway.

Patient confidence in rotator cuff surgery is high. A lot of research shows that confidence is unfounded and misguided. “The results of (rotator cuff surgery) are not as predictable as the patient, family, trainer, coach and doctor would like to think.”

• According to one athletic study from Loyola University Health System: “The results of (rotator cuff) treatment are not as predictable as the patient, family, trainer, coach and doctor would like to think.”(1)
• Doctors at the University of Montreal suggest that “Despite improvements in rotator cuff surgery techniques, re-tear rate remains above 20% and increases with tear severity. Early rehabilitation exercises could contribute to re-tear due to excessive stresses.”(2)
• There has long been a debate over the effectiveness of rotator cuff tear surgery. Numerous medical studies have shown that the re-tear rate of a surgically repaired shoulder could be anywhere from 20 – 90% depending on the patient circumstance. Australian researchers, presenting at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2012 Annual Meeting said that the failure rate they measured in 500 patients was 57%. In 2020, eight years later a March 2020 study (3) suggested: “patient-reported retear rate was 32.6%, and the reoperation rate was 34.7%“
• University Hospitals of Geneva on failed surgical repair: “Tear recurrence can be related to various factors such as:
  • (1) inadequate strength of the initial repair construct,
  • (2) biological failure to heal despite strong initial fixation (hardware and suture) and
  • (3) inappropriate postoperative rehabilitation causing structural failure of the repair”(4)

Patients at greater risk for rotator cuff revision surgery if they have had a history of cortisone injections

In my article How cortisone injections accelerate the need for a joint replacement, I discuss new and recent research about the growing concern over what cortisone injections are doing to in the joints.

An December 2019 (5) study in the journal Radiology described four main adverse findings that have been structurally observed in patients after cortisone injections.

• Cortisone injections accelerates the progression of degenerative arthritis.
• Cortisone injections weakens bone and causes fracture.
• Cortisone injections causes bone death and complications of osteonecrosis.
• Cortisone injections cause rapid joint destruction.

What is cortisone doing to the rotator cuff?

Another December 2019 study (6) in the journal Arthroscopy suggests that a steroid injection in the shoulder prior to rotator cuff surgery, puts you at a greater risk for post-surgical shoulder complications and possiboly the need for a secondary or revision shoulder surgery. Here is what the study says: “Several recent clinical trials have demonstrated that corticosteroid injections are correlated with increased risk of revision surgery after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. . . Caution should be taken when deciding to inject a patient (with steroid), and this treatment should be withheld if an arthroscopic rotator cuff repair is to be performed within the following six months.”

A January 2019 study (7) in the journal Arthroscopy examined the effects of one or multiple corticosteroid injections a patient received for shoulder pain prior to having rotator cuff surgery. Here were these findings:

• “A single shoulder injection within a year prior to arthroscopic rotator cuff repair was not associated with any increased risk of revision surgery; however, the administration of 2 or more injections was associated with a substantially increased risk of subsequent revision rotator cuff surgery.”

Rotator cuff surgery alternatives

In many articles on this site I discuss the growing interest medical researchers have in cellular communication. This interest is based on observations that stem cells, when introduced into a damaged joint, spontaneously change the joint environment from diseased to healing by signaling the native healing cells to get ready to rebuild.

A recent paper from a research team in Australia (8) confirms how this change of joint environment works.

• When introduced into a diseased joint, bone marrow stem cells display plasticity and multipotency (the ability to change/morph into other cell types and multiply). They also signal the native stem cells to join them.

• They also send signals to suppress inflammatory T–cell proliferation (inflammation) and provide an anti-inflammatory effect.

• Stem cells express various growth factors – an array of bioactive molecules that stimulate local tissue repair – These growth factors, and the direct cell to cell contact between MSCs and chondrocytes (the present remaining cartilage cells in the joint), have been observed to influence chondrogenic differentiation and cartilage matrix formation – in simple terms – stem cells regenerated cartilage.

Now let’s look at the rotator cuff and the effects of cellular communication on repairing rotator cuff tears.

Doctors at various medical universities (9) combined to publish new research on the need for alternatives to rotator cuff surgery. Enhancing cellular communication may be the answer.

“Rotator cuff tears are one of the most common shoulder problems that usually require operative treatments. Therapeutic options used to repair ruptured tendons have consisted of suture, autografts, allografts (transplants), and synthetic prostheses.

Although surgical treatments have improved dramatically up to now, shoulder pathology is still challenging to orthopedic surgery primarily because these injuries often respond poorly to treatment and require prolonged rehabilitation.

Recent attention has focused on several biologic pathways which can augment function to tendon healing, consequently leading to the identification of growth factors involved in this process.”

Their attention were drawn to cytokines – small protein messengers instrumental in setting up signalling networks between healing factors. How do you stimulate cytokines? One way is to introduce stem cells into their network.

Stem cells create a non-surgical healing environment and this is why researchers from around the world are now pointing towards stem cell therapy as the future of rotator cuff repair and even to repair failed surgery damage. Here is new research to support that observation:

• Doctors from numerous teaching universities in Portugal (10) published these findings: A new treatment approach (stem cell therapy for rotator cuff) for decreasing the characteristic muscle degeneration associated with chronic rotator cuff tears. This strategy is particularly important for patients whose tendon healing after later surgical repair could be compromised by the progressing degenerative changes.
• From the University of Michigan: “Rotator cuff injuries are associated with atrophy and fat infiltration into the muscle, commonly referred to as “fatty degeneration.” As the poor function of chronically torn muscles may limit recovery after surgical repair, there is considerable interest in finding therapies to enhance muscle regeneration.” Those therapies include stem cells which can can improve muscle regeneration in other chronic injury states, and may be beneficial to enhance the treatment and recovery of patients with chronic rotator cuff tears.(11)

Watch the rotator cuff treatment with stem cells and then use the contact form to see if you are a candidate for this treatment for your rotator cuff problems.

Bone Marrow aspirated stem cells injected into the shoulder

One shot a month apart is not really PRP treatment

I get a lot of emails. In some of the emails the writer will recount to me that they had PRP treatment for a rotator cuff tear and it did not work. There are a lot of times PRP for a rotator cuff will not work. One way it will not work is if you get a single injection into the shoulder, more or less at random, and then one month later you get it again. That is the way many doctors offer this treatment. That is not the way I do PRP injections for the shoulder. The video below demonstrates.

In the American Journal of Sports Medicine, July 2019, (12) a team of doctors in Switzerland tried the one injection, repeated a month later type of PRP treatment for a rotator cuff tear. More specifically for an Interstitial Supraspinatus Tear, the tendon of the Supraspinatus muscle of the rotator cuff. It should be noted that in this study, ultrasound was used to guide the single injection to the damaged site.

The PRP injection was given to some of the study participants and some participants acting as a “control” group received a simple saline injection. So what happened? The PRP did not work any better than the saline solution. Why? When I see someone in our office with shoulder pain and shoulder instability, an examination will usually reveal that there are many things going on in the shoulder beyond a single or isolated tear of the Supraspinatus tendon (the tendon itself has only one tear), and that the shoulder itself is a degenerating joint.

In the Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, (13) researchers noted that in Partial articular supraspinatus tendon avulsion (PASTA) tears are often seen in shoulders of throwing athletes who have recurrent anterior glenohumeral (shoulder) instability. In other words, there are many things going on at once, isolating out one injury in the shoulder will not solve a problem of total shoulder breakdown.

Do you have a question about your rotator cuff issues for Dr. Darrow?

Over the years we have helped many people with rotator cuff tears. We utilize PRP injections and stem cell therapy injections to help repair the shoulder. Our methods have been developed over more than 20 years and thousands of patients. Use the form below and tell me about your shoulder problems and I will get back to you and we can explore the realistic healing options that we may be able to offer you.

Do you have questions? Ask Dr. Darrow

A leading provider of stem cell therapy, platelet rich plasma and prolotherapy
11645 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD SUITE 120, LOS ANGELES, CA 90025

PHONE: (800) 300-9300 or 310-231-7000

Stem cell and PRP injections for musculoskeletal conditions are not FDA approved. We do not treat disease. We do not offer IV treatments. There are no guarantees that this treatment will help you. Prior to our treatment, seek advice from your medical physician. Neither Dr. Darrow, nor any associate, offer medical advice from this transmission. This information is offered for educational purposes only. The transmission of this information does not create a physician-patient relationship between you and Dr. Darrow or any associate. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, usefulness or adequacy of any resource, information, product, or process available from this transmission. We cannot be responsible for the receipt of your email since spam filters and servers often block their receipt. If you have a medical issue, please call our office. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911.

1. Nickolas G. Garbis, Edward G. McFarland. Understanding and Evaluating Shoulder Pain in the Throwing Athlete. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America, 2014; 25 (4): 735 DOI:10.1016/j.pmr.2014.06.009
2 Haering D, Blache Y, Raison M, Begon M. Mechanical risk of rotator cuff repair failure during passive movements: A simulation-based study. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2015 Dec;30(10):1181-8.
3 Hoffman TW, Maher A, Leigh WB, Brick MJ, Caughey MA, Young SW. Medium-term outcomes of a cohort of revision rotator cuff repairs. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. 2020 Mar 4.
4 Lädermann A, Denard PJ, Burkhart SS. Management of failed rotator cuff repair: a systematic review. J ISAKOS. 2016 Jan;1(1):32-37. doi: 10.1136/jisakos-2015-000027. Epub 2016 Jan 21. PMID: 27134759; PMCID: PMC4849215.
5 Kompel AJ, Roemer FW, Murakami AM, Diaz LE, Crema MD, Guermazi A. Intra-articular corticosteroid injections in the hip and knee: perhaps not as safe as we thought?. Radiology. 2019 Dec;293(3):656-63.
6 Puzzitiello RN, Patel BH, Nwachukwu BU, Allen AA, Forsythe B, Salzler MJ. Adverse impact of corticosteroid injection on rotator cuff tendon health and repair: A systematic review. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery. 2019 Dec 17.
7 Desai VS, Camp CL, Boddapati V, Dines JS, Brockmeier SF, Werner BC. Increasing numbers of shoulder corticosteroid injections within a year preoperatively may be associated with a higher rate of subsequent revision rotator cuff surgery. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery. 2019 Jan 1;35(1):45-50.
8 Seol D, Zhou C, et al. Characteristics of meniscus progenitor cells migrated from injured meniscus. J Orthop Res. 2016 Nov 3. doi: 10.1002/jor.23472.
9 Wu G et al. Advances in the treatment of rotator cuff lesions by cytokines. Front Biosci (Landmark Ed). 2017 Jan 1;22:516-529.
10 Sevivas N, Teixeira FG, Portugal R, Araújo L, Carriço LF, Ferreira N, Vieira da Silva M, Espregueira-Mendes J, Anjo S, Manadas B, Sousa N, Salgado AJ. Mesenchymal Stem Cell Secretome: A Potential Tool for the Prevention of Muscle Degenerative Changes Associated With Chronic Rotator Cuff Tears. Am J Sports Med. 2016 Aug 8. pii: 0363546516657827.
11 Gumucio JP, Flood MD, Roche SM, Sugg KB, Momoh AO, Kosnik PE, Bedi A, Mendias CL. Stromal vascular stem cell treatment decreases muscle fibrosis following chronic rotator cuff tear. Int Orthop. 2016 Apr;40(4):759-64. doi: 10.1007/s00264-015-2937-x.
12 Schwitzguebel AJ, Kolo FC, Tirefort J, Kourhani A, Nowak A, Gremeaux V, Saffarini M, Lädermann A. Efficacy of platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of interstitial supraspinatus lesions: A randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial: PRP for Interstitial Supraspinatus Lesions. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. 2019 May 31;7(5_suppl3):2325967119S00210.
13 Ueda Y, Sugaya H, Takahashi N, Matsuki K, Tokai M, Hoshika S, Onishi K, Hamada H. Prevalence and Site of Rotator Cuff Lesions in Shoulders With Recurrent Anterior Instability in a Young Population. Orthop J Sports Med. 2019 Jun 4;7(6):2325967119849876. doi: 10.1177/2325967119849876. PubMed PMID: 31211152; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6552367.