Plasma rich in growth factors versus corticosteroid injections for management of chronic rotator cuff tendinopathy: a prospective double-blind randomized controlled trial with 1 year of follow-up.

Background: Rotator cuff tendinopathy (RCT) is a painful and dysfunctional shoulder condition traditionally considered as a degenerative pathology. However, evidence is pointing to immunocompetent cells and activated stromal fibroblasts as the drivers of a nonresolved inflammatory condition in RCT. As potent anti-inflammatory agents, corticosteroid injections have been among the first-line and the most common therapeutic strategies.