Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy
Your blood contains a remarkable pharmacy of healing compounds. Among the most powerful are your platelets — small, specialized cells packed with growth factors that initiate and direct the body’s healing response whenever tissue is damaged. Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy concentrates these platelets from your own blood and delivers them in therapeutic quantities directly to the site of injury or degeneration, dramatically amplifying your body’s natural repair process.
At Sunridge Medical in Scottsdale, Arizona, PRP therapy is offered as part of our comprehensive regenerative medicine program. Our physicians use PRP to treat a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions, joint injuries, and degenerative disorders — helping patients reduce pain, restore function, and avoid or delay surgery
How PRP Therapy Works
The process begins with a simple blood draw from the patient’s arm. The blood sample is then processed in a centrifuge, which separates the blood components and concentrates the platelets into a small volume of plasma. This PRP preparation contains five to ten times the normal concentration of platelets found in whole blood.
The PRP is then injected directly into the target area — a painful joint, a torn tendon, an area of soft tissue damage — under ultrasound or other imaging guidance where appropriate. The concentrated growth factors in the PRP signal the body to mount an accelerated healing response, stimulating the proliferation of repair cells, increasing blood supply to the area, and modulating the inflammatory process.
Conditions Treated with PRP at Sunridge Medical
Joint Pain and Osteoarthritis
PRP therapy has demonstrated significant benefit for patients with mild to moderate osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, shoulder, and other joints. By delivering growth factors directly into the joint space, PRP can reduce pain, decrease inflammation, and may slow the progression of cartilage degeneration. Many patients experience meaningful, lasting relief that allows them to reduce or eliminate pain medication.
Tendon and Ligament Injuries
Tendons and ligaments have notoriously poor blood supply, which makes them slow to heal after injury. PRP therapy is particularly well-suited to treating chronic tendinopathies — conditions like rotator cuff tendinopathy, Achilles tendinopathy, patellar tendinopathy (jumper’s knee), and lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) — where conventional treatment has provided inadequate relief.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Muscle strains, partial tears, and other soft tissue injuries can benefit from PRP therapy, particularly when healing has plateaued or when the patient wants to accelerate recovery and return to activity.
Post-Surgical Healing Support
PRP can be used to support healing following orthopedic procedures, helping to reduce recovery time and improve tissue repair outcomes.
What to Expect from PRP Therapy
PRP therapy at Sunridge Medical begins with a thorough consultation and evaluation to determine whether you are an appropriate candidate for the treatment. If PRP is recommended, the entire process — from blood draw to injection — typically takes one to two hours and is performed in our Scottsdale clinic.
Following the injection, patients typically experience some temporary soreness or swelling at the injection site as the healing process is initiated. Most patients begin to notice improvement within four to eight weeks, with continued improvement over three to six months as tissue repair progresses. Some patients require a series of injections for optimal results
PRP vs. Cortisone: Understanding the Difference
Cortisone injections are a common conventional treatment for joint and tendon pain. While they
can provide rapid short-term relief, cortisone does not heal the underlying tissue and repeated
injections may actually accelerate cartilage degeneration over time. PRP therapy, by contrast, is
designed to stimulate genuine tissue repair and produce lasting improvement — not just
temporary symptom masking.
Is PRP Right for You?
PRP therapy is not appropriate for every patient or every condition. Our physicians conduct a careful evaluation of your medical history, imaging findings, and current health status before
recommending PRP. We will discuss realistic expectations, the likely number of treatments
needed, and how PRP fits into your overall treatment plan at Sunridge Medical.
For answers or to make an appointment, call us toll-free at 1-800-923-7878 to speak with a Patient Care Team. Recover your vitality, reclaim your energy and rediscover your health.