Ross Hauser, MD, Danielle Matias, PA-C, Demi Foster, APRN
In our practice PRP is seldom given as a stand alone treatment. We also use Prolotherapy in a combined treatment. Prolotherapy is the injection of a simple dextrose or sugar to create a healing response. These treatments are further in our article Prolotherapy injections for rotator cuff tears and rotator cuff tendinopathy and the video below.
In this article we will focus on research surrounding PRP and supraspinatus tendon tears,
A February 2026 study in the journal Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy (1) evaluated and compared the therapeutic effectiveness of physiotherapy alone or physiotherapy combined with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in patients with partial supraspinatus tendon tears.
A total of 63 patients, aged between 25 and 65 years with isolated articular-sided partial supraspinatus tendon tears were enrolled. Participants were randomly assigned to either the treatment or control group. The control group received only standard physical therapy interventions. In contrast, the treatment group was administered two doses of PRP under ultrasound guidance in addition to physical therapy.
Analysis revealed that the group receiving PRP in conjunction with physiotherapy experienced a significantly greater reduction in tendon tear volume compared to the control group. Clinical assessments demonstrated significant improvements in both groups following treatment. However, the PRP group showed a notably greater improvement than the control group.
The findings indicate that the combined use of PRP and physical therapy is more effective than physical therapy alone for achieving both radiological and clinical improvements in patients with articular-sided partial-thickness supraspinatus tendon tears.
Hi, my name is Danielle Steilen-Matias, MMS, PA-C. I’m a Physician Assistant at Caring Medical Florida, and I’d like to discuss rotator cuff tears and their healing process with Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP). In this video we will discuss a 62-year-old male who worked as a ground support technician, frequently handling heavy equipment. The patient was treated twice with dextrose prolotherapy and PRP. Diagnostic blocks using a numbing agent were performed in the tendon and bursa, confirming these areas as major sources of pain. While the numbness from the block was temporary, it helped identify the structures that needed strengthening.
References
1 Demiral MF, Çankaya BY, Paksoy AE, Budak ES, Yalçın A, Uzkeser H, Kocaoğlu B. Addition of platelet‐rich plasma to physiotherapy reduces tear volume and іmproves functional outcomes in articular‐sided partial supraspinatus tendon tears. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy. 2026. [Google Scholar]