Management of partial-thickness rotator cuff tears is actually controversial. We treated a patient with a partial-thickness tear of the supraspinatus tendon by a series of four type I porcine collagen ultrasound-guided injections, at weekly intervals. At the same time the patient underwent physical therapy, consisting of motor re-education and proprioceptive exercises. The patient was assessed before the treatment and up to 18 months after the last injection by the Constant–Murley score, the Disability of Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire and ultrasonography. Shoulder pain and functional limitation progressively improved and they almost completely disappeared at the last follow-up. Ultrasonography showed a gradual healing of the partial-thickness tear and a regeneration of the tendon structure. This is the first study on ultrasound-guided injections of type I porcine collagen for the treatment of partial-thickness rotator cuff tears. Future research should confirm the excellent result achieved in this case report.

Background. Lateral epicondylitis, or tennis elbow, is the prevalent cause of elbow pain among adults. Collagen injections are used to treat different musculoskeletal disorders. Type I porcine collagen has proved to enhance tendon repair in vitro. Aims of the present pilot study were to verify the effects of type I porcine collagen injections on pain and disability in patients with tennis elbow and therefore to check if there are grounds for carry out a randomized controlled trial. Methods. Fifty patients, who have been suffering lateral epicondylitis for at least 6 months, were treated with a series of 5 type I porcine collagen injections, at weekly intervals. The Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation questionnaire was employed to verify the effects of collagen injections at 1-month and 3-month follow-up. Results. As regards the baseline, the total score showed an average reduction of 57% (55% in terms of pain and 58% in terms of function) at 1-month follow-up and an average reduction of 66.1% (68.9% in terms of pain and 63.2% in terms of function) at 3-month follow-up. The results were statistically significant (p<0.05) according to the Kruskal-Wallis test. Conclusions. Up until now there were no studies about treatment of tennis elbow with collagen injections. Compared to other regenerative injection therapies, collagen injections seemed to be one of the most effective and fast-acting. The positive findings of this pilot study can be the bases for conducting clinical trials with higher level of evidence.

Background. Plantar fasciopathy is a frequent source of foot pain in athletes, and it is caused by the degeneration of the proximal insertion of the plantar fascia, usually triggered by repetitive microtrauma. Type I porcine collagen was shown to enhance tendon repair in vitro, and collagen injections are currently used to treat different tendinopathies. The aim of this study is to verify the effectiveness of collagen injections on pain and function in runners with plantar fasciopathy. Methods. Runners, who have been suffering from plantar fasciopathy for at least 6 months, were treated with a series of 4 ultrasound-guided type I porcine collagen injections, at weekly intervals. The Visual Analogue Scale, American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society-Ankle Hindfoot score and pressure algometry were used to verify the effects of collagen injections at 1-month and 3-month follow-up. Results. Compared to baseline, minor (p ≥ .05) and major (p ≤ .001) improvements on pain and function were registered at 1-month and 3-month follow-up, respectively. Conclusion. This is the first study that evaluates the effectiveness of collagen injections in the treatment of plantar fasciopathy in runners. Despite the limitations of this study, the positive findings could represent the starting point for further clinical trials.