PRP therapy Scottsdale means platelet-rich plasma care for sore joints

Arthritis, tendon strain and old injuries often feel different

Arthritis often causes stiffness after rest and aching during longer walks. A tendon may hurt during lifting, gripping or the first morning steps.

A busy day can leave a joint puffy after the work ends. Sharp pain after a fall or twist points to a fresh injury.

Shorter chores and easy movement may settle an aching joint

Brief walks and easy bends can keep a stiff joint from tightening. If gardening raises the ache, work fewer minutes and skip heavy lifting for several days.

Cold may ease new swelling, while warmth can loosen stiffness before walking. Don’t stop prescribed medicine without approval from the clinician responsible for it.

Soreness shouldn’t climb each day during home care. If it does, an exam can check for arthritis, a tendon strain or another cause.

Soreness that changes sleep or walking deserves an exam

Have the joint examined if soreness returns, interrupts sleep or stops normal errands. The clinician will ask how it started, move the joint and review any X-ray.

Fever, heat, fast swelling or inability to stand needs quick care. For an ordinary ache, note how long the pain lasts after the movement ends.

Bring that note plus the names of your medicines. Tell the clinician if the ache wakes you, slows walking or affects balance.

The exam may show whether wear, muscle weakness or a tendon is involved. It also helps you weigh PRP against medicine, home care and physical therapy.

Sources

1. A clinical-recommendations review graded PRP indication by indication: good evidence for leukocyte-poor PRP in knee osteoarthritis; moderate-to-high-quality evidence for leukocyte-rich PRP in patellar tendinopathy and for PRP in plantar fasciitis; INSUFFICIENT evidence to routinely recommend PRP for rotator cuff tendinopathy, hip osteoarthritis or high ankle sprains; and demonstrated LACK of efficacy for Achilles tendinopathy, muscle injuries, acute fracture or non-union, and as a surgical augment in rotator cuff repair, Achilles repair and ACL reconstruction.

   Le ADK, Enweze L, DeBaun MR, et al. — Current Clinical Recommendations for Use of Platelet-Rich Plasma. Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine, 2018. DOI: 10.1007/s12178-018-9527-7.

2. In the RESTORE trial - the largest placebo-controlled PRP trial in knee osteoarthritis - 288 adults aged 50+ with symptomatic Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2-3 medial knee OA received three weekly intra-articular injections of leukocyte-poor PRP from a commercial system or saline placebo. At 12 months the mean change in knee pain was -2.1 points with PRP versus -1.8 with saline (difference -0.4; 95% CI -0.9 to 0.2; P=.17) against a minimum clinically important difference of 1.8, and the change in medial tibial cartilage volume was -1.4% versus -1.2% (difference -0.2%; 95% CI -1.9% to 1.5%; P=.81). Twenty-nine of 31 prespecified secondary outcomes showed no significant between-group difference. The authors concluded the findings do not support use of PRP for knee OA.

   Bennell KL, Paterson KL, Metcalf BR, et al. — Effect of Intra-articular Platelet-Rich Plasma vs Placebo Injection on Pain and Medial Tibial Cartilage Volume in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: The RESTORE Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA, 2021. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2021.19415.

3. A meta-analysis of 18 Level I randomized trials (811 patients receiving PRP, 797 receiving hyaluronic acid, mean follow-up 11.1 months) found mean improvement in total WOMAC scores was significantly higher with PRP (44.7%) than with hyaluronic acid (12.6%) (P<.01), and 6 of 11 VAS-reporting studies found significantly less pain with PRP at latest follow-up.

   Belk JW, Kraeutler MJ, Houck DA, et al. — Platelet-Rich Plasma Versus Hyaluronic Acid for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2021. DOI: 10.1177/0363546520909397.

4. A multicentre, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial randomised 100 patients with ankle (tibiotalar) osteoarthritis to two ultrasound-guided intra-articular injections of PRP or placebo. Symptom scores improved by 10 points with PRP and 11 points with placebo, an adjusted between-group difference over 26 weeks of -1 (95% CI -6 to 3; P=.56). The authors concluded the results do not support the use of PRP injections for ankle osteoarthritis.

   Paget LDA, Reurink G, de Vos RJ, et al. — Effect of Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections vs Placebo on Ankle Symptoms and Function in Patients With Ankle Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA, 2021. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2021.16602.

5. An updated meta-analysis of six randomized trials (422 patients) found no benefit of PRP over placebo for Achilles tendinopathy on VISA-A at 3 months (mean difference 1.7; 95% CI -1.8 to 5.2), 6 months (0.5; 95% CI -8.5 to 9.3) or 1 year (-7.9; 95% CI -27.3 to 11.6), nor on VAS pain at 3 months. Funnel-plot asymmetry suggested publication bias inflating apparent benefits. The authors wrote that PRP should not be used to treat Achilles tendinopathy until high-quality trials show a clear clinical benefit.

   Barreto ESR, Antunes Junior CR, Silva IC, et al. — Is Platelet-rich Plasma Effective in Treating Achilles Tendinopathy? A Meta-analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, 2025. DOI: 10.1097/CORR.0000000000003349.

6. A 12-centre randomized controlled trial of 230 patients with chronic lateral epicondylar tendinopathy compared tendon needling with leukocyte-enriched PRP against tendon needling alone. At 12 weeks there was no significant difference (55.1% versus 47.4% pain improvement; P=.163). At 24 weeks the PRP group reported 71.5% versus 56.1% pain improvement (P=.019), a 83.9% versus 68.3% success rate (P=.037), and significantly less residual elbow tenderness (29.1% versus 54.0%; P=.009). No significant complications occurred in either group.

   Mishra AK, Skrepnik NV, Edwards SG, et al. — Efficacy of platelet-rich plasma for chronic tennis elbow: a double-blind, prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial of 230 patients. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014. DOI: 10.1177/0363546513494359.

7. A systematic review and meta-analysis of nine randomized trials (239 PRP patients, 240 corticosteroid patients) in chronic plantar fasciitis found statistically significant differences in VAS pain favouring PRP at 1-1.5, 3, 6 and 12 months, and in AOFAS function favouring PRP at 6 and 12 months (no difference at 1 and 3 months).

   Hurley ET, Shimozono Y, Hannon CP, et al. — Platelet-Rich Plasma Versus Corticosteroids for Plantar Fasciitis: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 2020. DOI: 10.1177/2325967120915704.

8. The devices used to spin PRP at the point of care are cleared by FDA as clinical centrifuges, product code JQC, a Class I device under 21 CFR 862.2050 - for example the Biomet GPS Platelet Separation Kit (K030555, cleared 2003) and the Harvest SmartPrep2 / SmartPrep Platelet Concentration System (K103340, cleared 2010). That clearance covers the equipment that separates blood. It is not an FDA approval of platelet-rich plasma as a treatment for osteoarthritis, tendinopathy or any other orthopedic condition, and copy must never blur the two.

   U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Center for Devices and Radiological Health) — 510(k) Premarket Notification database and Product Classification: JQC, Centrifuges (Micro, Ultra, Refrigerated) For Clinical Use, 21 CFR 862.2050. FDA accessdata (CDRH device databases), 2003.

9. The Cochrane review of platelet-rich therapies for musculoskeletal soft-tissue injuries concluded there is currently insufficient evidence to support the use of platelet-rich therapy for treating musculoskeletal soft tissue injuries, overall and for individual conditions - including pooled data from six trials of PRP applied during rotator cuff repair surgery, which showed no statistically or clinically significant long-term functional difference. The review ended with an explicit call for standardisation of PRP preparation methods.

   Moraes VY, Lenza M, Tamaoki MJ, et al. — Platelet-rich therapies for musculoskeletal soft tissue injuries. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2014. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010071.pub3.