What it is
Using your own blood to target a painful joint or tendon.
Platelet-rich plasma is made from your own blood. A sample is drawn, spun in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets, and the resulting preparation is injected into the painful area — most commonly a joint or a tendon.
Platelets carry growth factors involved in the body's normal healing response. The idea behind PRP is to deliver a concentrated dose of those factors directly to a site where healing has stalled, rather than relying on the small amount that ordinary circulation would bring there.
Because it uses your own blood, there is no risk of an allergic reaction to a foreign substance, and no steroid involved — which is why it is often discussed for patients who want to avoid repeated steroid injections.
What the evidence actually shows
Promising in places, unproven in others.
We would rather give you an honest picture than a sales pitch, so here it is: the research on PRP is genuinely mixed, and it varies a great deal depending on what is being treated.
Studies of knee osteoarthritis and certain tendon problems have reported benefit for some patients, while other well-designed trials have found results no better than placebo injections. Part of the difficulty is that PRP is not one standardized product — preparation methods, platelet concentrations, and injection protocols differ between studies and between clinics, which makes results hard to compare.
What this means practically: PRP is a reasonable option to discuss for specific problems in specific patients. It is not a proven solution for chronic pain in general, and any clinic presenting it as one is overstating what is known.
Who it may suit
A specific structure — not pain in general.
We use PRP for tendon, ligament, joint, fascia, and cartilage problems — degenerative or overuse conditions in a specific, identifiable structure. It is not used for nerve pain, and it is not a treatment for the kinds of spinal pain addressed by nerve blocks or radiofrequency ablation.
What we treat with PRP
Tendon problems, ligament injuries, joint pain, fascia-related pain, and cartilage damage. Whether it suits your particular problem depends on the structure involved and how much damage is present — that is what the evaluation determines.
Generally not appropriate
Nerve pain and sciatica; facet-pattern or vertebrogenic back pain; and any situation where the source of the pain has not yet been identified. PRP treats a specific structure — it is not a treatment for pain in general.
What the visit involves
One appointment, start to finish.
Blood draw
A sample is taken from your arm, much like any routine blood test.
Preparation
The sample is spun in a centrifuge to separate and concentrate the platelets. This takes roughly 15 minutes, and you wait in the office while it is prepared.
Injection
The skin is numbed, and the preparation is injected into the target area — with ultrasound or X-ray guidance where accuracy matters, as it does for most joint and tendon targets.
Afterward
Soreness in the treated area for several days is common and expected — more than with a steroid injection, because the intent is to provoke a healing response rather than suppress inflammation. Your care team will tell you what activity to avoid and for how long.
One important difference from a steroid injection: anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen or naproxen may work against what PRP is trying to do, and are usually paused around the procedure. Do not stop any medication on your own — we will give you specific instructions.
Cost and coverage
PRP is generally not covered by insurance.
This is the part patients are most often surprised by, so we would rather say it early. Medicare and most commercial plans consider PRP investigational for musculoskeletal conditions and do not cover it. In practice that means PRP is a self-pay treatment.
We will tell you the cost before you decide, not after. If you are weighing PRP against a covered option, that conversation should include what each one costs you as well as what the evidence supports.
One thing worth knowing: a series of injections is not routinely required. Some clinics sell PRP in packages of three or more as a standard approach. We treat it case by case — if a second injection is worth considering, we will discuss it after we see how you respond to the first, not before.
Common questions
What patients ask about PRP
If you're considering PRP, the first question is whether your pain is the kind it might help.
That depends on what is actually causing it — which is where every conversation here starts. Call and we will give you a straight answer, including when we think it isn't the right choice.
Platelet-rich plasma injection carries risks including infection, bleeding, and post-injection pain. PRP is considered investigational for musculoskeletal conditions by Medicare and most commercial insurers and is generally not covered. Evidence of benefit varies by condition, and results vary between patients. This page is general education, not medical advice, and not a recommendation that PRP is appropriate for your situation.