jcm-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Molecular Injection Therapy in Orthopedic and Musculoskeletal Disorders: Conservative Approaches and Innovative Treatments

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Orthopedics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 855

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail
Guest Editor
Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, Division of Immunohematology, Section of Laboratory Analysis, Azienda Ospedaliera USL Nordovest, Via Lippi Francesconi, 556-55100 Lucca, Italy
Interests: molecular therapy; nucleic acids; tendinitis; statistics; analytical data management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Orthopedic and Traumatology, University-Hospital of Pisa, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Interests: traumatology; articular disorders; tendinitis; rehabilitation; conservative treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Surgery, Division of Ortopedics, Azienda Ospedaliera USL Nordovest, Via Lippi Francesconi, 556-55100 Lucca, Italy
Interests: shoulder pathologies; injection therapy; rehabilitation; conservative approach

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is a great pleasure to present the following Special Issue in this journal: “Molecular Injection Therapy in Orthopedic and Musculoskeletal Disorders: Conservative Approaches and Innovative Treatments”, inside the orthopedic field. As we know, chronic pain and traumatic injuries in musculoskeletal disorders represent a significant and widespread health problem. These health difficulties affect people of all ages, negatively impacting the quality of life from a social, economic, and (not least) health point of view. In some cases, various surgical treatments are unavoidable and lead to various problems. When the clinical-surgical approach is deferrable towards physiotherapy, this has played a crucial role in improving the physio-psycho-social conditions of orthopedic patients. Nevertheless, therapies based on emerging minimally invasive approaches, including infiltrations of drugs, substances, or medical devices, are showing promising results in pain management, improving functionality, and accelerating recovery. Among these, hyaluronic acid, collagen, polynucleotides, platelet-rich plasma, and corticosteroids certainly stand out. These procedures can often be assisted by ultrasound imaging in order to increase the loco-regional positioning of the treatment. In the orthopedic field, there is already evidence that demonstrates the use of these combinations in conservative clinical decisions as a valid therapeutic alternative for musculoskeletal disorders.

This Special Issue aims to illustrate to the readers the updated evidence (also clinical experimental) and their consequent conservative clinical approach to the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. This new evidence will be useful to raise awareness of the application of an appropriate conservative treatment. Original articles, systematic reviews, or meta-analyses are welcome.

We look forward to your contributions.

Dr. Niccola Funel
Prof. Dr. Paolo Domenico Parchi
Guest Editors

Dr. Andrea del Chiaro
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • injection therapy
  • conservative approaches
  • medical devices
  • collagen
  • polyribonucleotide
  • plasma-rich platelets
  • hyaluronic acids
  • anti-inflammatory therapy
  • tendinitis, osteoarthritis, musculoskeletal disorder, pain reduction
  • regenerative medicine
  • new clinical approaches
  • physiotherapy
  • comparative studies: surgery vs. conservative approaches

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Other

23 pages, 4540 KB  
Brief Report
Injectable Porcine Collagen in Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Delphi Consensus
by Orazio De Lucia, Federico Giarda, Andrea Bernetti, Chiara Ceccarelli, Giulia Letizia Mauro, Fabrizio Gervasoni, Lisa Berti and Antonio Robecchi Majnardi
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(17), 6058; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14176058 - 27 Aug 2025
Viewed by 727
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Musculoskeletal disorders causing chronic pain are increasingly prevalent due to factors such as injury, overuse, and aging, leading to interest in porcine collagen injections as a potential therapeutic and conservative option. Despite promising results, evidence-based information on this treatment is scarce. To [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Musculoskeletal disorders causing chronic pain are increasingly prevalent due to factors such as injury, overuse, and aging, leading to interest in porcine collagen injections as a potential therapeutic and conservative option. Despite promising results, evidence-based information on this treatment is scarce. To address this gap, the authors conducted an eDelphi consensus among expert Italian physicians in musculoskeletal pain to gather their perspectives on collagen injections. Methods: A Steering Committee and a Panel of 23 physicians developed the statements list (36) including the modalities, safety, and efficacy of intra- and extra-articular collagen injections. Panelists rated their agreement with each statement on a 5-point Likert scale (5 means “Strong Agreement”). Consensus was defined as when at least 75% of the panelists voted with a score of ≥4/5 after two rounds of votes. The weighted average (WA) was calculated for each statement. As control, we elaborated a Hypothetical Parametric Distribution (HPD WA equal to 3.00), where the percent of panelists is equally distributed along each Likert Scale Value (LSV). The maximum WA for 75% of the consensus is established at 3.75. Indeed, the combination of 75% having WA > 3.75 was defined as “Strong Agreement”. While, if the consensus was under 75%, the WA vs. HPD comparison was performed using the Wilcoxon Test. Significant differences among the distribution of LSVs judged the statement as “Low Level of Agreement”. Disagreement was evaluated when the WA was under the PHD. Results: The consensus was reached “Strong Agreement” after twin rounds in 29 out of 36 (8.55%). In 5 out of 36 statements (13.89%), the panelists reached the “Low Level of Agreement” by statistical tests. In the remaining two statements, there was a “Consensus of Disagreement”. All panelists unanimously agreed on crucial points, such as contraindications, non-contraindication based solely on comorbidity, and the importance of monitoring collagen’s effectiveness. Unanimous agreement was reached on recommending ultrasound guidance and associating collagen injections with therapeutic exercise and physical modalities. Substantial consensus (concordance > 90%) supported collagen injections for osteoarthritis, chondropathy, and degenerative tendinopathies, emphasizing intra- and peri-articular treatment, even simultaneously. However, areas with limited evidence, such as the combination of collagen with other injectable drugs, treatment of myofascial syndrome, and injection frequency, showed disagreement. The potential of intra-tendinous porcine collagen injections for tendon regeneration yielded mixed results. Conclusions: Clinicians experts in musculoskeletal pain agree on using collagen injections to treat pain originating from joints (e.g., osteoarthritis) and periarticular (e.g., tendinopathies). Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop