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Tempe PRP Field Notes
Four lines every preparation should disclose

Tempe PRP Field Notes

What do people usually ask about PRP?

Standing, turning, or reaching can wake up an aching joint. Once PRP comes up, you'll likely have practical questions.

The answers below cover the shot, cost, rest, and results. They can't replace an exam of your sore area.

What is PRP?

PRP is platelet-rich plasma made after clinic staff take a little blood. They spin it and keep the portion holding more platelets. That portion goes into the sore joint or nearby tissue as a shot.

Why can PRP differ between clinics?

Clinics may draw different amounts of blood or keep different layers. That changes how many platelets and white cells are in your shot. White cells may bring more soreness afterward, but no mix can promise relief.

What should a clinic tell me about its PRP?

Ask how much PRP is in the shot and how many platelets it holds. You'll want to know whether staff tested your finished PRP or used a machine estimate. The clinic can also explain cost, recovery, and later visits.

Are PRP treatments covered by insurance in Arizona?

PRP for joints and nearby tissue is usually paid from your own pocket. Medicare's national policy doesn't cover it for wear-and-swelling arthritis or soreness in a tendon, the cord joining muscle to bone. Ask for a dated written price that includes later visits.

How long will my knee need to rest after PRP?

There's no single rest schedule for every knee or blood mix. Your directions will depend on the sore area and what is in the PRP. Get the rules for work, driving, exercise, and reasons to call in writing.

Does PRP therapy work for arthritis?

Some knee arthritis studies found less soreness and easier movement. Other studies found no added help over comparison care. PRP may not help you, so ask how the findings match your joint and health.

What are the downsides of PRP?

PRP can cause short-term soreness or swelling, and relief isn't promised. You may pay the whole cost and need time for later visits. The clinic needs to explain both concerns before you decide.

What can I try before PRP?

Changing painful activities and doing the right exercises may come first. Losing some weight can ease strain on a knee. Medicine, a brace, or a cane may also fit your health.

Sources

  1. A systematic review of 105 clinical PRP studies in orthopaedics published 2006-2016 found that only 11 (10%) described the preparation protocol clearly enough for another investigator to repeat it, and only 17 (16%) reported any quantitative metric of the final PRP composition. The authors concluded that the current reporting of PRP preparation and composition does not allow the PRP products actually delivered to patients to be compared between studies.

    Chahla J, Cinque ME, Piuzzi NS, et al. — A Call for Standardization in Platelet-Rich Plasma Preparation Protocols and Composition Reporting: A Systematic Review of the Clinical Orthopaedic Literature. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American), 2017. DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.16.01374.

  2. A systematic review that screened 876 studies and extracted standardised data from 33 commercially available PRP systems and protocols found that final product concentrations of platelets, white cells and growth factors varied widely between systems, as did the preparation protocols themselves. Platelet concentration correlated directly with the volume of blood drawn and with the centrifugal force of the device. The authors called the heterogeneity between separation systems something that 'must be resolved for proper study of this promising treatment'.

    Fadadu PP, Mazzola AJ, Hunter CW, et al. — Review of concentration yields in commercially available platelet-rich plasma (PRP) systems: a call for PRP standardization. Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, 2019. DOI: 10.1136/rapm-2018-100356.

  3. The PAW classification was proposed because PRP preparation protocols 'vary widely between authors and are often not well documented in the literature, making results difficult to compare or replicate'. It sorts preparations by three variables: the absolute number of Platelets, the manner of Activation, and the presence or absence of White cells - the three levers that make two injections both called 'PRP' materially different products.

    DeLong JM, Russell RP, Mazzocca AD — Platelet-rich plasma: the PAW classification system. Arthroscopy, 2012. DOI: 10.1016/j.arthro.2012.04.148.

  4. The DEPA classification was built because platelet and leukocyte counts alone do not describe an injection. Applied retrospectively to 20 published PRP preparations, the dose of injected platelets ranged from 0.21 billion to 5.43 billion - a 25-fold spread. No device recovered more than 90% of the platelets in the blood drawn, and most preparations were contaminated with red blood cells: only three of the devices reached a purity score corresponding to more than 90% platelets relative to red cells and leukocytes.

    Magalon J, Chateau AL, Bertrand B, et al. — DEPA classification: a proposal for standardising PRP use and a retrospective application of available devices. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 2016. DOI: 10.1136/bmjsem-2015-000060.

  5. In a controlled laboratory study, blood from five healthy donors was processed through three commercial PRP systems (MTF Cascade, Arteriocyte Magellan, Biomet GPS III). Platelet, red-cell and TGF-beta1 concentrations did not differ significantly between systems, but white-cell counts and PDGF-alpha-beta, PDGF-beta-beta and VEGF concentrations differed significantly across all three. Cascade produced leukocyte-poor PRP while GPS III and Magellan produced leukocyte-rich PRP with correspondingly higher white cells and growth factors.

    Castillo TN, Pouliot MA, Kim HJ, et al. — Comparison of growth factor and platelet concentration from commercial platelet-rich plasma separation systems. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2011. DOI: 10.1177/0363546510387517.

  6. Three healthy adults each donated 181 mL of blood which was processed through four commercial PRP kits (GPS III, Smart-Prep2, Magellan, ACP). The three kits that draw from the buffy-coat layer produced platelet concentrations 3-6 times baseline and white-cell concentrations 3-6 times baseline; the one kit drawing from plasma produced platelet concentrations only 1.5 times baseline. The authors concluded that the lack of standardisation of PRP preparation has contributed, at least in part, to the varying clinical efficacy reported for PRP.

    Fitzpatrick J, Bulsara MK, McCrory PR, et al. — Analysis of Platelet-Rich Plasma Extraction: Variations in Platelet and Blood Components Between 4 Common Commercial Kits. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 2017. DOI: 10.1177/2325967116675272.

  7. 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.

  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 ESSKA-ICRS consensus applied the RAND/UCLA appropriateness method to 216 clinical scenarios for intra-articular PRP in knee OA. Only 84 scenarios (38.9%) were rated appropriate, 9 (4.2%) inappropriate and 123 (56.9%) uncertain. PRP was judged appropriate in patients aged 80 or under with KL grade 0-III osteoarthritis AFTER failed conservative non-injective or injective treatment; it was NOT considered appropriate as a first treatment, nor in KL grade IV (bone-on-bone) osteoarthritis, where 91.7% and 87.5% of scenarios respectively were uncertain.

    Kon E, de Girolamo L, Laver L, et al. — Platelet-rich plasma injections for the management of knee osteoarthritis: The ESSKA-ICRS consensus. Recommendations using the RAND/UCLA appropriateness method for different clinical scenarios. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, 2024. DOI: 10.1002/ksa.12320.

Would a clinic visit help you decide?

At 1100 S. Dobson Rd., Suite 210, QC Kinetix provides consultations about regenerative treatment options, non-surgical choices prepared from your blood. Its medical providers, meaning staff who examine you, can explain whether one could suit the sore area.

Talk to the clinic team