Ultrasound-Guided Treatments for Shoulder Pain in Wheelchair Users With Spinal Cord Injury
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2022-04-30
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Rotator cuff disease (i.e., rotator cuff tendinopathy or tear) is a common cause of shoulder
pain in persons with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). It usually resolves with non-operative
treatments such as pharmacological agents and physical therapy; however, when this fails,
rotator cuff surgery may be the only option. Corticosteroid injections are another
alternative to provide temporary relief, but can over time accelerate degeneration of the
tendon and lead to further damage. Autologous adipose tissue injection has recently emerged
as a promising new treatment for joint pain and soft tissue injury. Adipose can be used to
provide cushioning and filling of structural defects and has been shown to have an abundance
of bioactive elements and regenerative perivascular cells (pericytes). The purpose of this
study is to explore the efficacy of autologous, micro-fragmented adipose tissue (Lipogems®)
injection under ultrasound guidance for chronic shoulder pain in persons with SCI compared
with the standard-of-care, corticosteroid injection.