Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41204311›Full record

SynthesisEuropean journal of medical research2025

Intra-articular injections for shoulder arthritis in adults: a systematic review.

Filippo Migliorini, Luise Schäfer, Virginia Masoni, Fabrizio Rivera, Gennaro Pipino, Nicola Maffulli

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European journal of medical research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Filippo MiglioriniDepartment of Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital of Halle, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Ernst-Grube-Street 40, 06097, Halle (Saale), Germany. filippo.migliorini@uk-halle.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7220-1221
Luise SchäferDepartment of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Eifelklinik St. Brigida, Kammerbruchstr. 8, 52152, Simmerath, Germany.
Virginia MasoniDepartment of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, University of Turin, Via Zuretti, 29, 10126, Turin, Italy.
Fabrizio RiveraDepartment of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Ospedale SS Annunziata, ASL CN1, Via Ospedali, 9, 12038, Savigliano, Italy.
Gennaro PipinoDepartment of Orthopaedics, Villa Erbosa Hospital, IRCCS Ospedale S. Raffaele, Milan, Italy.
Nicola MaffulliDepartment of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, University La Sapienza, 00185, Rome, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe management of glenohumeral osteoarthritis (GHOA) is challenging, particularly in patients who are not eligible for surgery. In recent years, several injectable therapies, including hyaluronic acid (HA), corticosteroids (CCs), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC), and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), have emerged as potential options for managing pain and improving joint function. This systematic review aims to summarise the current evidence on infiltrative strategies to manage GHOA in adults.

methodsThis review followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were systematically searched in May 2025. All clinical studies investigating infiltrative strategies to manage shoulder arthritis in adults were considered for inclusion. Only studies with a minimum follow-up of six months were included. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane RoB2 tool for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and the ROBINS-I tool for non-randomised studies.

resultsData from 1125 patients (1126 shoulders) were analysed. The mean age of the patients was 63.4 ± 5.8 years, and 34.1% (384 of 1125 patients) were women. The most commonly studied intra-articular treatments included HA and CCs. The rate of surgery for persistent symptoms or functional impairment was 3.2% (35 of 1079 reported procedures). The overall rate of complications was 7.2% (56 of 780 reported procedures).

conclusionInfiltrative management can provide symptomatic relief in adults with GHOA. Current evidence supports the potential role of different injectable therapies, with hyaluronic acid demonstrating consistent, though modest, benefits. In contrast, the evidence for orthobiologics remains limited, mainly because of heterogeneity in study design, outcome measures, and patient characteristics. High-quality comparative trials with long-term follow-up are required to establish optimal treatment strategies and to identify patient subgroups most likely to benefit from specific interventions.

Indexed as

OsteoarthritisShoulder JointAdrenal Cortex HormonesAdultFemaleHumansHyaluronic AcidInjections, Intra-ArticularMiddle AgedPlatelet-Rich PlasmaAdrenal Cortex HormonesHyaluronic AcidBone marrow aspirate concentrateCorticosteroidsHyaluronic acidIntra-articular therapyMesenchymal stem cellsPlatelet-rich plasmaShoulder arthritis

Identifiers

PMID41204311
PMCPMC12593904

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.