Could a blood injection boost shoulder healing?
NCT ID NCT02173743
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looked at 80 people with painful calcium deposits in the shoulder tendon that didn't get better with standard care. All received a needle procedure to remove the deposits, and half also got an injection of their own platelet-rich plasma (PRP). The goal was to see if adding PRP reduces pain and improves shoulder function better than the needle procedure alone.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- platelet-rich plasma (PRP)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a more effective minimally invasive treatment for calcific tendinitis, reducing the need for surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed trial with 80 participants. Previous research on PRP for other tendon problems has shown mixed results, so it may not provide clear benefit.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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80 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jul 2014
- Finished
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May 2019
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 55 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * age \> 18 yrs * clinical manifestions of tendinitis calcarea (pain, stifness, lock sensations, muscle atrophy) * persistent pain sympoms \>6 months * standardized AP x-ray shows calcific deposit of \> 5mm \& morphologic Type I \& II deposits (classification of Gärtner en Simons) * ineffective intervention \> 2 types of conservative treatment (among which are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, physiotherapy, local anesthesia injection and/or corticosteroids, extracorporele shock wave therapy) * indication and referral for barbotage by orthopeadic surgeon Exclusion Criteria: * age \> 55 years * morphological type III deposits according to classification of Gärtner and Simons) (as indicated by standardized x-ray AP) * bigliani type III acromion, and acromial spur of acromioclavicular osteovyt * previous (ineffective) barbotage * the existence of other shoulder related injuries next to calcific tendinitis (full-thickness rupture of the rotator cuff, adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder), arthrosis of the glenohumeral- or acromioclavicalar joint * shoulder joint instability * shoulder injury due to trauma or previous shoulder surgeries * other types of disorders that could negatively influence the outcomes (rheumatic arthritis. cervical spine disorders, neurological upper extremity disorders, diabetes mellitus, infections, blood disorders, malignity, pregnancy) * known allergic responses to one of the medications applied in the current study (lidocaine, bupivacaine, kenacort) * usage of anti-coagulants other than ascal of plavix
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Orthopedisch Centrum Oost Nederland/ZGT
Hengelo, Overijssel, 7550 AM, Netherlands
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