Based on Level 1 evidence in orthopedics, how much should a clinic charge for a PRP injection for knee osteoarthritis? We already know that PRP has been shown to work better and last longer than steroid or hyaluronic acid injections….that is a fact based on over 25 level 1 studies from around the world.
The level 1 evidence for using PRP for knee arthritis symptoms is overwhelming at this point. There are over 30 level 1 studies showing that PRP is better than a steroid injection, hyaluronic acid, and placebo with benefits that last at least out to 1 year! Why insurance companies will pay for steroid injections and hyaluronic acid injections but NOT PRP that works better and comes from your own body and lasts longer is anyone’s guess!
We are now enrolling patients with symptomatic knee arthritis into a clinical, nonsurgical study.
Please call the study coordinator if you are interested at 877-211-4471
There is no cost to be in the study!
Is there strong evidence for using PRP to treat Patellar Tendinitis/Tendinopathy?
Interesting Canadian pilot study (N=12) on cultured bone marrow derived MSCs used for knee osteoarthritis (KL3 and KL4) This is one of the very few published papers showing dose dependent outcomes (higher dose…better outcome) with autologous cultured bone marrow derived MSCs.
Our patient in this video is 2 years after a single stem cell injection for knee arthritis. We only use bone marrow derived stem cells because any supposed “stem cell” injections from umbilical cord blood, or amniotic fluid or Wharton’s Jelly or placental tissues have been shown to not actually have living stem cells.
I have been repairing virtually all meniscus injuries and adding an orthobiologic injection to maximize healing. This combination of surgery + stem cells has been shown to result in better healing rates of the meniscus and allows me to “save” more meniscus tears for patients than I could before. The video is a 60 sec clip showing how we can repair a bad meniscal injury a young patient and get it to heal about 90% of the time by adding a stem cell injection.
Our patient has now had 2 good years with minimal knee pain after being told she needed a total knee replacement! All from a single injection of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) made from her own blood in the office. She now wants the other knee done :). Who wouldn’t!
30 second example of an obstructive meniscal tear that often continues to cause knee dysfunction despite nonsurgical treatment. The degenerative tears have been shown in multiple studies to get better most of the time without surgery, orthobiologics, or anything more than physical therapy. A meniscus tear diagnosis on a MRI reading is not a reason for any invasive procedure….rest, rehab….time…will allow most patients to return to their “baseline” knee function.
For problems where just an injection in the office won’t be enough, we can still harness the power of PRP or stem cells to try to improve surgical results. Here is a picture from a recent mensicus repair surgery where we are using PRP to try to get the entire torn meniscus to heal after being surgically repaired.
