Additionally PRP has cosmetic use, such as hair loss, wrinkle reduction, and tightening of skin.
Frequently Asked questions (FAQ) about PRP:
What is PRP? How is PRP procedure performed?
Essentially, PRP is your own concentrated blood that has very high saturation of active healing components that is injected back into your body. Approximately 3 test tubes of your blood is taken, mixed with small amount of anti-coagulant to prevent clotting, and placed in a centrifuge to isolate platelet cells and healing growth factors. The platelet containing concentrate is PRP, and it is injected back into your joint or wherever you have chronic pain. PRP contains approximately 5-10 times the typical amount of platelets and growth factors. These substances help stimulate your body’s own healing response. PRP therapy is targeted to the area(s) needing treatment by localized injection.
1. Collect blood
2. Spin down the blood
3. Extract PRP
4. Inject injured area with PRP
How effective is PRP therapy? What are the alternatives?
PRP is not an instant fix and it takes 1-2 months before taking effect. As with all medical treatments, there is no guarantee, and in some patients it may not work. PRP therapy has been a target of many studies that involve treatment of knee osteoarthritis, and they have shown that while steroids are often very effective short term (3 months or less) and work much quicker, patients who get PRP injection generally experience longer effect, and less pain after 6 months after treatment. Steroid injections are a lot cheaper than PRP, and are covered by health insurance, unlike PRP. Hyaluronic acid injections, is another alternative treatment for knee osteoarthritis. The cost of these injection is high, and could easily be higher than the cost of PRP, depending on the number of injections given. A 2014 review article appearing in Arthritis Research & Therapy concluded that “current evidence appears to favor PRP over hyaluronan for the treatment of osteoarthritis.” The studies for other degenerative conditions are not as numerous and not as large as the studies of knee osteoarthritis, but the studies show benefit. However, a 2017 review article regarding treatment of tennis elbow, published in The Physician and Sports Medicine, concluded that steroid injection is more effective short term, but PRP is more effective intermediate and long term - thus the authors recommend PRP as the preferred treatment for lateral epicondylitis.
Is PRP Safe?
Many studies have been done on PRP, and it is generally considered very safe. However, as every medical procedure, PRP has small risk of infection, allergic reaction, bleeding, inflammation, and damage to adjacent structures.
Platelet rich plasma is FDA approved for use in orthopedic surgeries as an additive to bone grafts to promote healing. PRP’s use for tendinitis, osteoarthritis, and other chronic pain is not FDA approved, but considered “off-label”, which is authorized when appropriate. Given the high cost to get an FDA approval, it is likely PRP’s use for chronic pain will remain “off-label.”
Does insurance cover PRP treatment? What is the cost of PRP injections?
Health insurance fully covers the evaluation visit before the PRP injection for chronic pain. Insurance does not cover the cost of the injection, which will be done on the second visit. The cost of PRP injection starts at $590 (as of 12/01/2022).
To schedule PRP injection evaluation in Plano area, or if you have any questions, please call our office at 972-792-7777. We are located in Plano, near Richardson. Other areas that are close to us are north DFW, Allen, Garland, North Dallas and McKinney.
What is the process of PRP injection and what to expect:
• Before PRP injection, patient will be evaluated to make sure that PRP is safe and appropriate for the patient.
• Preparation for PRP injection only involves avoiding certain medications. After PRP injection, for most jobs, patient will be able to go back to work the same day.
• PRP evaluation visit is covered by the insurance, but the PRP injection is not covered. The cost of PRP injection starts at $590 (Dec 2022).
• Best PRP candidates are those who are generally healthy who have tried other therapies, but find them unacceptable.
Dr. Isaac Z. Pugach, M.D. performs PRP injections for knee pain and other chronic degenerative conditions. He has been performing joint and other musculo-skeletal injections for over 20 years as part of his practice. Dr. Pugach offers platelet-rich plasma treatment to his patients because it has been successfully used in US for over a decade for osteoarthtitis, and has hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific research articles to back up its efficacy.
There is a wide range of PRP kits on the market, and their effectiveness (based on their ability to concentrate healing growth factor) varies greatly. We use Harvest PRP kits, which are one of the best on the market, based on published data of platelet and growth factors concentrations.
What exactly is PRP? Essentially, PRP is
your own concentrated blood
that has very high quantity of
active healing growth factors
; it is injected into the damaged area of the body. Approximately 3 test tubes of your blood are taken, mixed with small amount of anti-coagulant to prevent clotting, and placed in a centrifuge to concentrate platelet cells and healing growth factors. The platelet containing concentrate is PRP, and it is injected back into your joint or wherever you have chronic pain. This helps to stimulate your body’s own healing response.
The safety of PRP injection has been established over decades of use, and it is considered very low risk procedure. The alternatives, such as NSAID medications, narcotics, and steroid injections carry significant risk, especially in higher and more frequent dosing.
