A painful joint, tendon injury, or ligament sprain can sideline you from your favorite activities and make everyday tasks difficult. Maybe you’ve tried cortisone shots and physical therapy, but are still suffering. Or a physician has mentioned surgery…but you’re still trying to determine if there is another way.
While surgery is sometimes the answer, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy offers a nonsurgical option for many joint and tendon conditions. At Monad Doc, we use PRP to stimulate the body’s natural healing mechanisms, with the goal of reducing pain and improving function.
What Is PRP Therapy?
PRP therapy is a regenerative orthopedic injection that uses the patient’s platelet-rich plasma to stimulate the body’s healing cascade to help repair and heal injured tissues. Before treatment begins, we draw your blood, process it in a centrifuge, and extract the platelet-rich portion that carries powerful immune system stimulators. We then inject your PRP into the affected area.
PRP injections are a powerful type of prolotherapy. They are very useful as an adjunct to or substitution for standard prolotherapy, which uses a combination of dextrose and lidocaine as the proliferant.
PRP therapy is a safe, effective treatment for most joint and tendon conditions and is used by many professional athletes worldwide. In my view, it remains underutilized in the United States, and we are proud to offer it.
How PRP Compares With Other Treatment Options
PRP and prolotherapy stimulate the body to generate new collagen and help damaged tendons and ligaments heal. PRP is considered more powerful than dextrose and lidocaine. Healed tissues are less painful and improve function. Results vary depending on the severity of the condition, but these safe, effective methods can help patients move more comfortably and return to the activities they enjoy.
PRP vs. Cortisone Shots
Steroid shots are a common remedy that can work to ease pain. Remember that steroids are an anti-inflammatory medicine. That means they shut down the immune system’s response to injury. By reducing the inflammatory response, the swelling, pressure, redness, and pain often improve. However, the injury is not healed. The damaged structure is “frozen” in a state of weakness which, over time, leads to instability and further injury. Steroids can improve pain, but often contribute to the long-term problem.
PRP and prolotherapy do the opposite. They stimulate your immune system's healing mechanisms to restore tissue integrity and heal the structures for long-term pain relief.
PRP vs. Surgery
Surgery is the logical remedy in severe cases when the injury requires it. It may involve shaving, grinding, polishing, and even replacing parts with prosthetics. We’re grateful for these technologies, but we hope we don’t have to use them if we can avoid it.
For most conditions, PRP and prolotherapy give us a safe and promising option to try before proceeding with surgery. “Giving the body a chance to heal itself” is central to the philosophy of osteopathic doctors like me. This is due diligence.
Is PRP Therapy Right for Me?
The first step is a consultation to fully evaluate and diagnose your musculoskeletal issue and identify your personal risk factors, including your medical history, age, and comorbidities. We also discuss your hopes and fears. We explore all your options and, together, determine a treatment plan. Patients come to us with chronic joint pain, ligament sprains and instability, neck and back pain, sports injuries, and arthritis-related pain.
Standard dextrose/lidocaine prolotherapy is effective for about four out of five patients. Since it’s also less expensive than PRP, that’s often where the treatment plan begins. We’ll then explore PRP therapy if we believe it’s in your best interest.
Healing is the long game. While some patients respond perfectly to just one treatment, others may need 4, 5, or 6 treatments. We’ll evaluate your healing progress every 2–4 weeks and repeat treatment if needed. If we’re not seeing the improvement we hoped for, we’ll talk through the options and reconsider the treatment plan.
Understanding PRP Therapy Risks & Aftercare
The risks of PRP therapy are small and no worse than those of any other injection therapies. Patients should expect some pain during and after the treatment. Less common risks include infection, bruising, bleeding, and injury to a nerve or another structure.
Patients who are allergic to corn or lidocaine are not eligible for standard dextrose and lidocaine prolotherapy injections. For those patients, we would offer PRP therapy instead.
As far as aftercare, rest is a critical and unavoidable expectation. Please plan to lie low for 5-7 days. We’ll give you specific instructions for the area being treated, including when and how to return to activity.
Let’s Talk About Your Pain
When it comes to musculoskeletal pain, early evaluation and treatment give you a chance to avoid severe or long-term problems and the need for surgery. Whether it’s due to arthritis, sports, overuse, or an acute injury, we encourage you to reach out to our office for a consultation. We’ll help you determine whether PRP or another treatment is appropriate for you.