Ultrasound-guided 5% dextrose perineural therapy at the axillary nerve for the treatment of shoulder pain in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy: a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial

Timporn Vitoonpong; Suda Pipatbannakij; Sopatip Rerkmoung; Chernkhuan Stonsaovapak; Natthiya Tantisiriwat

doi:10.2478/abm-2026-0014

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Ultrasound-guided 5% dextrose perineural therapy at the axillary nerve for the treatment of shoulder pain in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy: a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial

Asian Biomedicine

Volume 20 (2026): Issue 2 (April 2026)

By: Timporn Vitoonpong, Suda Pipatbannakij, Sopatip Rerkmoung, Chernkhuan Stonsaovapak and Natthiya Tantisiriwat

Open Access

|Apr 2026

Abstract

Background

5% dextrose perineural injection therapy (PIT) is a low-cost, accessible, and non-toxic pain relief treatment. No study examined the effects of PIT using a 5% dextrose solution for axillary nerve-related shoulder pain.

Objectives

We aimed to investigate the effects of 5% dextrose PIT in the proximal part of the axillary nerve (pAxN) and distal part of the axillary nerve (dAxN) compared to a sham injection, combined with self-exercise in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy.

Methods

This randomized controlled trial included 40 patients with moderate to severe pain from rotator cuff tendinopathy. Participants were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups: 5% dextrose PIT in pAxN, dAxN, or a sham injection. All groups performed self-exercise at home. Pain was measured using the visual analog scale (VAS), and secondary outcomes included the oxford shoulder score (OSS) and range of motion (ROM). Blinding was maintained for participants and assessors.

Results

After excluding one participant, 39 individuals (13 per group) were included in the analysis. The dAxN group showed significant pain reduction at 2 and 4-weeks, with estimated mean VAS reductions of −2.46 (−3.87, −1.05) and −1.49 (−2.89, −0.08), respectively, compared to the sham group. However, the pAxN group did not demonstrate a significant difference in pain reduction compared to the sham group. There were no significant differences between groups in other outcomes.

Conclusions

Combining 5% dextrose PIT at the dAxN region with self-exercise led to superior short-term pain reduction in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy. Nonetheless, further large-scale clinical trials are necessary to validate these findings.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/abm-2026-0014 | Journal eISSN: 1875-855X | Journal ISSN: 1905-7415

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Language: English

Page range: 130 - 141

Published on: Apr 30, 2026

Published by: Chulalongkorn University

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 6 issues per year

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© 2026 Timporn Vitoonpong, Suda Pipatbannakij, Sopatip Rerkmoung, Chernkhuan Stonsaovapak, Natthiya Tantisiriwat, published by Chulalongkorn University
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 20 (2026): Issue 2 (April 2026)