Thread: Anyone tried Autologous Platelet Rich Plasma Transplantation?

Hear it is the new miracle for banged up joints.

Ken

I had tendonitis in my left elbow from skinning and a year of pt did nothing.then I had 3prp injections and it is now pain free.
Prp works on ligaments and tendons, but not on joint issues.

I am currently having PRP treatment for a longitudinal tear of a tendon in my ankle. 6 months of pt did nothing but it is much better after 1 injection. 1 to go. It is pricey but worth it because the alternative is nasty surgery. Like rod9301 I'm not sure it works on joints but I think Brandon Roy (NBA player) had some sort of PRP treatment on his knees.

Very interested in this - I've had patellar tendonitis for over a year now, PT is starting to work to correct some of the movements by body had been making to shield the knee from impact, but the underlying inflammation just doesn't go away. Sounds like this is the kind of case where PRP might be successful?

kingofmyrrh - do a google search on 'prp and patella tendonitis'. looks like some orthopods are starting to use it. the hard part is finding clinic that does the procedure - many of them think it is experimental. good luck!

Originally Posted by steelhead

kingofmyrrh - do a google search on 'prp and patella tendonitis'. looks like some orthopods are starting to use it. the hard part is finding clinic that does the procedure - many of them think it is experimental. good luck!

Thanks steelhead. Here in Tokyo there are definitely places that offer the treatment, although off insurance and not cheap - about $300 each time, but frankly I'm at the point where I'd do anything if it helped with the problem. I think it's fair to say that it still is somewhat experimental, in view of the low volume of clinical trials, but then again the whole world of tendinitis/tendinosis seems to be clouded with uncertainty. It is depressing to read how many people are never able to shake the injury...

kingofmyrrh, the clinic I go to claims to be the leading research facility in the US for PRP. I am going in for the second treatment next week - if you like, I will ask the doctor is they have any experience with treating patellar tendonitis.

I would be very interested to hear what they think, thank you.

kingofmyrrh - good news. i spoke with the doctor administering my second prp today. he said their highest success rate for prp is when it is used for pattelar tendonitis. 85-90%. gotta like those odds. painful and expensive treatment but it is sure working well for me. good luck to you.

Thanks steelhead and glad it is working for you. It must be exciting to finally exit from the uncertainty. I'm going on a trip shortly but will go and have a chat with one of the surgeons here when I get back. It's still early summer so I have the luxury of time, and certainly continuing the pt and strengthening exercises in the meantime can only be good for the final outcome.

kingofmyrrh, where are you? Mrs Patches does PRP and other regenerative treatments in North Lake Tahoe. PRP has been around a long time and most people don't consider it experimental.

My understanding is that the pain afterwards is caused by including the white blood cell fraction in the injection. Most patients seem to experience pain for only a couple of days if the WBCs are discarded versus 6-8 weeks if the WBCs are left in. There's a bit of a debate about whether results are better if you leave the WBCs in. I know of a couple cases where both knees were treated simultaneously, one with and one without WBCs, and both knees improved the same amount, but the pain was much worse in the one treated with WBCs. That's just anectodal though, I don't think its settled one way or another.

Mrs. Patches thinks being in pain is stupid so she doesn't include WBCs for active people. She thinks its better to get back to normal (and fun) activities as soon as possible, the movement increases bloodflow and speeds healing.

TNKEN,

I know of someone with a very similar problem who was successfully treated by a medical office in New York. You can call them at 718-544-1444 or 845-425-7997. We were really amazed with the results.