Platelet Rich Plasma for Musculoskeletal Conditions

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is an injectable preparation of a patient's blood that can be used for numerous conditions and has received significant attention over the past several years for its potential application for the treatment of pain and functional impairment due to osteoarthritis (OA) and other musculoskeletal conditions. Research on PRP has expanded dramatically over the last several decades, elevating its status from snake oil to a proven injection option superior to corticosteroids. It has demonstrated superior efficacy to standard-of-care corticosteroids in numerous musculoskeletal conditions. Systematic reviews of randomized-controlled trials have demonstrated equivalent-to-superior treatment outcomes associated with the use of intra-articular PRP compared to placebo, hyaluronic acid, and corticosteroid for the most commonly-studied condition, knee OA. Most importantly, just as corticosteroids have been used in numerous musculoskeletal conditions (OA, tendinopathy, bursitis, etc.), PRP has the same potential, but with vastly reduced risk; corticosteroids have many known dangers. To summarize, PRP has demonstrated level 1 evidence of superiority to corticosteroids in pain and function in numerous musculoskeletal conditions, with considerably less risk.

This study will evaluate pain, function, and overall patient satisfaction outcomes for the use of PRP for the treatment of a diverse MSK conditions, including, but not limited to, OA of the knee, hip, glenohumeral joint, elbow, ankle, and sacroiliac joint, as well as rotator cuff tendinopathy, lateral and medial epicondylitis, plantar fasciitis, patellar tendinopathy, Achilles tendinopathy, and proximal hamstring tendinopathy.