A prospective study of 100 patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy showed no correlation between subacromial bursitis and the efficacy of ultrasound‐guided corticosteroid injection

Review written by Todd Hargrove info

Key Points

  1. 60% of patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy experienced significant improvements after ultrasound-guided subacromial corticosteroid injection.
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BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Subacromial corticosteroid injection is a common treatment for shoulder pain associated with rotator cuff tendinopathy. It is thought that outcomes might depend on the nature and location of the rotator cuff lesion. In particular, injection might work better for subacromial bursitis than torn tendons, because the injection might have adverse effects on the tendon.

With that in mind, this study sought to determine whether ultrasound-guided subacromial injection was more effective in patients with subacromial bursitis than without.

Subacromial corticosteroid injection is a common treatment for shoulder pain associated with rotator cuff tendinopathy.
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The presence of subacromial bursitis does not indicate an increased likelihood that corticosteroid injections will be a good treatment for shoulder pain associated with rotator cuff tendinopathy.

METHODS

  • 100 patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy were included in the study; 49 had subacromial bursitis. All received an ultra-sound guided subacromial injection.
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