Platelet-rich plasma has become one of the most discussed options for knee pain, and the conversation tends to swing between two extremes. Some clinics present it as a way to regrow cartilage. Skeptics dismiss it entirely. The evidence sits between those positions, and it is clear enough to say who is likely to benefit and who is not.<\/p>\n\n
PRP is prepared from a small sample of your own blood. A centrifuge separates and concentrates the platelets, which carry growth factors and proteins involved in tissue repair and in regulating inflammation. Injected into the knee, PRP does not rebuild cartilage that is gone. What it appears to do is calm the inflammatory environment of the joint and support the tissue that remains, which is why the benefit shows up as less pain and better function rather than as a change on an X-ray.<\/p>\n\n
The strongest evidence is for knee osteoarthritis in its early and moderate stages. Several randomized trials have compared PRP with hyaluronic acid and with steroid injections, and in this group PRP has often shown longer lasting improvement in pain and function, typically measured at six and twelve months. Patients who tend to do best share a few features:<\/p>\n\n
Some tendon problems around joints, such as chronic tennis elbow or certain partial tendon injuries, also show encouraging results, although the evidence varies more from study to study.<\/p>\n\n
Honesty matters most here. PRP is not a good option when the joint is bone on bone. In advanced osteoarthritis there is too little tissue left for a regenerative signal to work with, and joint replacement is often the more effective answer. PRP is also unsuitable for patients with certain blood or platelet disorders, active cancer, infection in or near the joint, or those who cannot pause anticoagulant or anti-inflammatory medication when a physician considers it safe to do so.<\/p>\n\n
Expectations also matter. PRP does not work instantly, and roughly a third of patients in many studies see only a modest response. A good assessment should tell you where you are likely to fall before you commit.<\/p>\n\n
Blood is drawn and processed during the same visit, and the injection itself takes a few minutes. Many protocols use two to three injections spaced a few weeks apart. Soreness and a feeling of fullness in the knee for one to three days are common. Most patients notice improvement from around four to six weeks, with the effect building over the following months. Staying active with guided exercise during this period improves the result.<\/p>\n\n
Steroid injections act fast and can be useful for a flare, but the relief usually fades within weeks and repeated use is not ideal for joint tissue. Hyaluronic acid injections add lubrication and help some patients. PRP is slower to start but, in the right patient, the benefit tends to last longer. These options are not mutually exclusive, and the right sequence depends on your situation.<\/p>\n\n
At Splendor Regenerative Medicine in South Miami, Dr. Ernesto Diaz reviews your history, imaging when you have it and your current medications before recommending PRP, and he tells you plainly if another treatment is a better fit. You can read more about the treatment on our PRP therapy in Miami<\/a> page and about our wider pain management<\/a> approach. When you are ready, book a consultation<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Platelet-rich plasma has become one of the most discussed options for knee pain, and the conversation tends to swing between two extremes. Some clinics present it as a way to regrow cartilage. Skeptics dismiss it entirely. The evidence sits between those positions, and it is clear enough to say who is likely to benefit and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4862,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dolor"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.splendorregenerativemedicine.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.splendorregenerativemedicine.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.splendorregenerativemedicine.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.splendorregenerativemedicine.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.splendorregenerativemedicine.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7194"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.splendorregenerativemedicine.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7222,"href":"https:\/\/www.splendorregenerativemedicine.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7194\/revisions\/7222"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.splendorregenerativemedicine.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.splendorregenerativemedicine.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.splendorregenerativemedicine.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.splendorregenerativemedicine.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}