Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy

If you are having pain or swelling in your joint, tendon or ligament, your provider may suggest platelet rich plasma (PRP) therapy. This therapy uses an injection of your own platelets to accelerate the healing of injured tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints. Your blood is made of a liquid called plasma and several types of blood cells and platelets. Platelets are important for blood clotting and contain a lot of proteins. These proteins may help with tissue repair and rebuilding.

PRP is mainly used to treat athletes. At this time, PRP is considered an experimental treatment by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

Treatment options

PRP injection may help treat:

Joint injuries
Ligament, cartilage and tendon injuries
Back and neck pain
Osteoarthritis

Benefits

Benefits may include:

Decreased pain
Increased function
Short recovery time compared to surgery
Cost effective
Targeted and fast healing
Quick results with long term benefits
Improvement without joint replacement

Most insurance plans and networks consider this treatment experimental and do not cover it. You will need to check with your insurance carrier to verify coverage.

For additional information on PRP, see our handout (also located under "Education & Support").