• Dae-Won Gwak, Jong-Moon Hwang, Ae Ryoung Kim, and Donghwi Park.
• Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 May 14; 100 (19): e25792.

BackgroundPain in the tendons or ligaments is extremely common, accounting for 30% of the causes of visiting general practitioners. Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) is emerging as a new treatment for musculoskeletal pain. However, the effects of PDRN in patients with tendon or ligament pain are unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the impact of PDRN in patients with tendon or ligament pain through a meta-analysis.MethodsElectronic literature search of PubMed, Embase, SCOPUS, and Cochrane Library databases of all articles on PDRN treatment for patients with tendon or ligament pain published in the English language from inception until January 31, 2020. The search identified 262 citations.ResultsOne randomized controlled trial and 3 retrospective observational studies were included. Pain due to tendon or ligament disorders showed significant improvement after PDRN injection (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.80 to -1.06, P < .00001). In the subanalysis of patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy, rotator cuff tendinopathy-induced pain significantly improved (SMD = -2.34, 95% CI = -3.61 to -1.07, P = .0003) after PDRN injection. However, there was no difference in shoulder pain and disability index score and strength of shoulder abduction in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy (shoulder pain and disability index score, SMD = 1.16, 95% CI = -1.20 to 3.52, P = .34; strength of shoulder abduction, SMD = 0.42, 95% CI = -0.03 to 0.88, P = .07).ConclusionEffective pain relief was achieved in patients with tendon or ligament disorders after PDRN injection. To more precisely determine this effect, a meta-analysis with a larger number of clinical trials is warranted.Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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