Joseph Fedro

Background: Bursitis, the inflammation of fluid-filled sacs that cushion joints, commonly arises from repetitive motion, injury, or infection.¹ Symptoms typically include pain, swelling, and reduced mobility.^1,2 Traditional treatments include conservative options such as activity modification and NSAIDs, as well as more invasive approaches like corticosteroid injections and surgery.^1,2 Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, involving the injection of concentrated platelets from the patient’s own blood, has emerged as a potential alternative aimed at enhancing healing and reducing inflammation in musculoskeletal conditions, including bursitis.³ However, evidence supporting its use in bursitis remains limited and inconsistent, highlighting the need for further clinical investigation.

Research Methods: A literature review was conducted using PubMed, with search terms “Bursitis PRP Treatment,” “Bursitis PRP Therapy,” and “Bursitis PRP” focusing on randomized controlled trials and comparative clinical studies published within the last five years. Studies were included if they compared PRP injections to saline, corticosteroids, dry needling, or extracorporeal shock wave therapy for bursitis treatment. Extracted data included sample sizes, follow-up durations, and key outcomes: VAS for pain, WOMAC for function, HOS, HHS, and iHOT-12 for hip-specific function, EQ-5D for general quality of life, and RIA for joint tenderness.

Results: Four randomized studies involving 375 patients were identified:

• A double-blind RCT of 79 patients with greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) compared PRP to saline injections. Both groups showed similar improvements in health-related quality of life (EQ-5D) and hip-specific function (iHOT-12) at 3, 6, and 12 months.⁴
• In a study of 180 patients with pes anserine bursitis, corticosteroid injections provided greater relief in pain (VAS), function (WOMAC), and joint tenderness (RAI) at 1 and 8 weeks compared to PRP and extracorporeal shock wave therapy.⁵
• Among 92 patients with GTPS, ultrasound-guided PRP resulted in significantly higher hip function (HOS) at all follow-up points when compared to dry needling.⁶
• A 24-patient trial evaluating PRP versus glucocorticoid injections for GTPS found that both treatments improved pain (VAS) and function (HHS), with PRP offering significantly better outcomes at the 24-week follow-up.⁷

Conclusion: PRP therapy shows promise in promoting healing and reducing inflammation in bursitis patients, with some studies demonstrating clinical improvements. However, the evidence regarding its superiority over conventional treatments is inconsistent, with some studies showing no clear advantage. Given the mixed findings, further high-quality, large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed to better define PRP’s clinical efficacy and establish its place in the standard treatment regimen for bursitis.

Works Cited:

1. Williams, C. H. (2023, July 24). Bursitis. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513340/
2. Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). (2022, May 4). Bursitis: Learn more – How can bursitis be treated? In InformedHealth.org. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525763/
3. Patel, H., Pundkar, A., Shrivastava, S., Chandanwale, R., & Jaiswal, A. M. (2023, November 17). A comprehensive review on platelet-rich plasma activation: A key player in accelerating skin wound healing. Cureus, 15(11), e48943. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.48943
4. Atachia, I., Ali, M., Oderuth, E., Hollyman, R., & Malviya, A. (2025, January 13). Efficacy of platelet-rich plasma versus placebo for the treatment of greater trochanteric pain syndrome: A double-blinded randomized controlled trial. The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39804899/
5. Gouda, W., Abbas, A. S., Abdel-Aziz, T. M., Shoaeir, M. Z., Ahmed, W., Moshrif, A., Mosallam, A., & Kamal, M. (2023, September 30). Comparing the efficacy of local corticosteroid injection, platelet-rich plasma, and extracorporeal shockwave therapy in the treatment of pes anserine bursitis: A prospective, randomized, comparative study. Advances in Orthopedics, 2023, 5545520. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/5545520
6. Atilano, L., Martin, N., Ignacio Martin, J., Iglesias, G., Mendiola, J., Bully, P., Aiyegbusi, A., Manuel Rodriguez-Palomo, J., & Andia, I. (2024, May 14). Ultrasound-guided subfascial platelet-rich plasma injections versus enthesis needling for greater trochanteric pain syndrome: A randomized controlled trial. Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11095191/
7. Begkas, D., Chatzopoulos, S.-T., Touzopoulos, P., Balanika, A., & Pastroudis, A. (2020, January 7). Ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma application versus corticosteroid injections for the treatment of greater trochanteric pain syndrome: A prospective controlled randomized comparative clinical study. Cureus. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7001131/