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New Shoulder Research Study Underway
Dr. Oakley and C. Tighe, NP have recently been approved by the Sandhills Multi-Institutional Review Board (SMIRB) to conduct their third shoulder study. This study is entitled Treatment of Partial/Interstitial Rotator Cuff Tears with Buffered Platelet-Rich Plasma. Participants of the study will include patients who have a diagnosis of a small (partial) tear of their rotator cuff and have failed to respond to the usual treatments of medicines, therapy, and injections and are considering surgery because of the persistent pain and weakness.
A tear of the rotator cuff of the shoulder can from an injury, from repetitive overhead abuse, and from a simple degenerative process over time. The classic symptoms of a rotator cuff tear are pain in the upper arm most frequently at night, loss of motion at the extremes such as reaching overhead &/or the middle and upper back, and loss of strength of use of the arm. Once there is a complete tear with a gap in the cuff then it will not heal by itself, surgery is required. Partial tears may heal especially younger patients for which there was a significant injury but they should do so within 6-12 weeks with complete resolution of symptoms of pain, loss of motion, and weakness.
Volunteer patients who elect to participant in the study will receive an alternative treatment which consists of a series of one or two injections into their rotator cuff tear of a concentration of their own platelets. Platelets are one of the smaller cells in the blood stream that contain various growth factors. These growth factors are known to be essential and instrumental in starting a healing process of any damaged tissue. Each patient will have to use a sling for a period of one week to protect the tear site of the rotator cuff. Restricted and limited use of the shoulder will be strongly encouraged for 6 weeks. Participants will be evaluated at specific intervals during the study and followed for a year. It is hoped that this treatment alternative will provide early relief of the pain from a partial rotator cuff tear and achieve healing of that tear thus avoiding the need for surgery. At this time this treatment is not thought to be reasonable for complete tears of the rotator cuff where there is displacement or gap in the cuff tissue. The MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is the best tool available to determine the presence and severity of a tear of a shoulder’s rotator cuff.
Ward S. Oakley, Jr., MD, MBA, has provided orthopaedic care at Pinehurst Surgical since 1994. He received his medical degree from the University Of Tennessee Center for Health Science, Memphis, Tennessee and his MBA, Physician Executive MBA Program, University of Tennessee, 2000.
Connie Tighe, RN, APRN joined Pinehurst Surgical in 1989. Connie received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and her Master of Science in nursing, from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina.