Distal Clavicular Osteolysis Treated With Platelet-Rich Plasma: A Case Report

Atraumatic distal clavicular osteolysis (DCO) is a cause of shoulder pain in younger athletes, often resulting from weightlifting and activities with repetitive pressing and overhead lifting. Athletes will present with shoulder pain localized to the acromioclavicular (AC) joint, with tenderness to palpation over the joint exacerbated by provocative testing on examination. Conservative management often includes activity modification, oral analgesics, physical therapy, and corticosteroid injection. Distal clavicular osteolysis can be refractory to conservative management and these athletes are often referred for surgical consultation. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections have been used to treat a wide variety of musculoskeletal injuries, but there have been no published studies assessing the efficacy of PRP injections specifically for distal clavicle osteolysis. We present a case of refractory DCO successfully treated with an ultrasound-guided PRP injection of the AC joint.