Regenerative Medicine for the Shoulder

This chapter explores the literature on regenerative medicine for shoulder pathologies. It summarizes the outcomes of studies examining orthobiologics for treating rotator cuff tendinopathy, glenohumeral (GH) osteoarthritis and shoulder adhesive capsulitis. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and cellular treatments seem to be valuable options in the arsenal of treatments for rotator cuff tendinopathy. Orthobiologics have shown exceedingly rare local and systemic adverse effects when used for various shoulder pathologies. Furthermore, they have shown promising results in terms of pain and functional improvement, particularly for rotator cuff tendinopathies, and may be preferred for this diagnosis over glucocorticoid injections. There is insufficient evidence to support the use of orthobiologics in treating GH osteoarthritis and adhesive capsulitis. Indeed, the literature is still too scarce to fully understand the potential of orthobiologics for these shoulder pathologies. This chapter also describes certain techniques that need to be taken into consideration when injecting orthobiologics into and around the shoulder.