PRP clinic Phoenix: PRP means platelet-rich plasma from your blood

What to try during a sore week

Ease back from movements that bring sharp soreness, but don't stop everything without medical advice. Several gentle sessions may feel better than one hard effort. A cold pack or warmth may help, depending on what feels soothing.

Good shoes can ease strain around the heel and the Achilles tendon behind your ankle. A lighter grip may calm an elbow during tools, golf, or pickleball. Keep often-used items within easy reach when your shoulder is sore.

When to arrange an exam

Have a clinician examine soreness that keeps returning or begins to limit your usual day. Give the clinician the start date and the exact motions that bring it on. The exam may check strength, motion, sore spots, and the nearby joint.

Seek help if you hear a sudden pop, take a hard fall, or lose strength. A fever plus a swollen, hot joint also needs quick medical care. New numbness, marked weakness, or spreading redness must be checked before any planned PRP visit.

What to ask when soreness will not settle

When home steps fail to settle it, QC Kinetix can explain regenerative treatments, its term for non-surgical care that begins with something your body supplies. Clinic workers call the blood preparation platelet-rich plasma, or PRP. At the clinic, staff collect your blood, run it through a spinning machine to split the layers, and use the saved platelet-heavy portion for a shot into either the aching joint or its sore tendon.

Medical providers are the clinic clinicians who inspect the area and read your health record before treatment. They can discuss PRP as one of the knee or hip surgery alternatives considered before surgery. Results differ from person to person, and the clinician can't promise yours.

Ask the clinician to name the sore tissue and explain why. Ask what treatment day involves and how the days afterward may affect you. Nearby clinics include Banner Estrella, Scottsdale, Peoria, or Chandler.

Sources

1. A 12-centre randomized controlled trial of 230 patients with chronic lateral epicondylar tendinopathy compared tendon needling with leukocyte-enriched PRP against tendon needling alone. At 12 weeks there was no significant difference (55.1% versus 47.4% pain improvement; P=.163). At 24 weeks the PRP group reported 71.5% versus 56.1% pain improvement (P=.019), a 83.9% versus 68.3% success rate (P=.037), and significantly less residual elbow tenderness (29.1% versus 54.0%; P=.009). No significant complications occurred in either group.

   Mishra AK, Skrepnik NV, Edwards SG, et al. — Efficacy of platelet-rich plasma for chronic tennis elbow: a double-blind, prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial of 230 patients. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014. DOI: 10.1177/0363546513494359.

2. A meta-analysis of 11 randomized trials (730 patients) with lateral epicondylitis found corticosteroid better than PRP in the short term (under 2 months) on VAS pain (MD 0.93; 95% CI 0.42-1.44) and DASH (MD 10.23; 95% CI 9.08-11.39), while PRP was better in the long term (6 months or more) on VAS (MD -2.18; 95% CI -3.13 to -1.22), DASH (MD -8.13) and Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MD 16.53). The two treatments trade places over time rather than one dominating.

   Xu Y, Li T, Wang L, et al. — Platelet-Rich Plasma Has Better Results for Long-term Functional Improvement and Pain Relief for Lateral Epicondylitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2024. DOI: 10.1177/03635465231213087.

3. A placebo-controlled, double-blind randomized trial of 40 patients with chronic rotator cuff tendinopathy compared a single ultrasound-guided subacromial injection of 5 mL PRP with 5 mL saline, with both groups completing a 6-week standard exercise programme and follow-up to one year. PRP did not produce better outcomes than saline on any measure - a reminder that the exercise programme, not the injectate, carried the improvement.

   Kesikburun S, Tan AK, Yilmaz B, et al. — Platelet-rich plasma injections in the treatment of chronic rotator cuff tendinopathy: a randomized controlled trial with 1-year follow-up. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2013. DOI: 10.1177/0363546513496542.

4. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 54 patients with chronic midportion Achilles tendinopathy, all doing eccentric exercises, VISA-A scores improved 21.7 points with PRP and 20.5 points with saline over 24 weeks - an adjusted between-group difference of -0.9 (95% CI -12.4 to 10.6), excluding the predefined relevant difference of 12 points. PRP added nothing to eccentric loading.

   de Vos RJ, Weir A, van Schie HT, et al. — Platelet-rich plasma injection for chronic Achilles tendinopathy: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA, 2010. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2009.1986.

5. 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.