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Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)

PRP Injections for Knee Osteoarthritis

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy uses your own blood to promote healing and reduce inflammation in arthritic joints. For patients with mild/moderate osteoarthritis PRP offers a safe and effective alternative to surgery .

How PRP Works

  • Concentrated platelets from your own blood

  • Rich in growth factors that support tissue repair

  • Injected directly into the knee joint

  • Helps reduce pain, stiffness, and swelling

  • Important to know that PRP does not regenerate cartilage that has already been lost.

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What to Expect

  1. Blood Draw – A small sample of your blood is taken.

  2. Processing – Platelets are concentrated using a centrifuge.

  3. Injection – PRP is injected into your knee joint, often guided by ultrasound

Benefits of PRP

  • Minimally invasive, non-surgical option

  • Outpatient procedure with little downtime

  • May provide longer lasting pain relief than cortisone injections in select patients. 

Is PRP Right for You?

PRP may be a good option if you:

  • Have mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis

  • Have tried medications, therapy, or cortisone shots without lasting relief

  • Prefer a natural approach to care

After the Procedure

  • Mild soreness or swelling for a few days is normal

  • Limit strenuous activity briefly

  • Improvement builds gradually over 4–6 weeks

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Available Evidence

  1. Bennell KL, Hunter DJ, Paterson KL. Platelet-rich plasma for the management of hip and knee osteoarthritis. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2017;19(5):24.

  2. Foster TE, Puskas BL, Mandelbaum BR, Gerhardt MB, Rodeo SA. Platelet-rich plasma: from basic science to clinical applications. Am J Sports Med. 2009;37(11):2259–2272.

  3. Andia I, Maffulli N. Platelet-rich plasma for managing pain and inflammation in osteoarthritis. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2013;9(12):721–730.

  4. Filardo G, et al. Platelet-rich plasma intra-articular knee injections show no superiority versus viscosupplementation: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Sports Med. 2015;43(7):1575–1582.

  5. Patel S, Dhillon MS, Aggarwal S, Marwaha N, Jain A. Treatment with platelet-rich plasma is more effective than placebo for knee osteoarthritis: a prospective, double-blind, randomized trial. Am J Sports Med. 2013;41(2):356–364.

  6. Laudy ABM, Bakker EW, Rekers M, Moen MH. Efficacy of platelet-rich plasma injections in osteoarthritis of the knee: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2015;49(10):657–672.

  7. Dai WL, Zhou AG, Zhang H, Zhang J. Efficacy of platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Arthroscopy. 2017;33(3):659–670.e1.

  8. Filardo G, Kon E, Di Martino A, et al. Platelet-rich plasma vs hyaluronic acid to treat knee degenerative pathology: study design and preliminary results. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2015;23(9):2477–2485.

  9. Sanchez M, et al. A randomized clinical trial evaluating plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF-Endoret) versus hyaluronic acid in the short-term treatment of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Arthroscopy. 2012;28(8):1070–1078.

  10. Kon E, et al. Platelet-rich plasma: intra-articular knee injections produced favorable results on degenerative cartilage lesions. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2010;18(4):472–479.

  11. Filardo G, et al. Long-term follow-up of PRP injections for knee osteoarthritis. Am J Sports Med. 2015;43(5):1179–1187.

  12. Kavadar G, Demircioglu DT, Celik MY, Yildizgoren MT. Effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of moderate knee osteoarthritis: a randomized prospective study. J Phys Ther Sci. 2015;27(12):3863–3867.

  13. Campbell KA, Saltzman BM, Mascarenhas R, et al. Does intra-articular platelet-rich plasma injection provide clinically superior outcomes compared with other therapies in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis? A systematic review of overlapping meta-analyses. Arthroscopy. 2015;31(11):2213–2221.

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