The Ultimate Guide to PRP Treatment: Benefits, Costs, and What to Expect

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment is increasingly being used in various healthcare segments, finding application in orthopaedics, sports medicine, cosmetic surgery, dental surgery, ulcer healing, and neurosurgery.

Factors contributing to the rapid expansion of PRP-based therapies include the rise in orthopaedic conditions due to a growing geriatric population, increased sports participation, and minimum risk and adverse effects due to allergic and immune responses.

PRP therapy is one kind of biological therapy which uses substances made from living organisms to treat disease. In the case of PRP treatment, the biological substance is the patient’s blood. In PRP treatment, an injection of platelet-rich plasma obtained from a patient’s own blood is used to treat various conditions, such as tendon, ligament, muscle, and cartilage injuries, post-surgical healing, and osteoarthritis.

What is platelet-rich plasma, and how is it obtained?

Blood consists of four components:

Plasma (liquid part of blood)
White blood cells (fight invaders like bacteria)
Red blood cells (carries oxygen to organs and tissues)
Platelets (helps with blood clotting and contains growth factors that help with healing)

Plate-rich plasma is blood that contains more platelets than normal. To create platelet-rich plasma, clinicians draw blood from the patient and place it in a centrifuge. The centrifuge spins the blood at a fast pace, separating the plasma and platelets from the red and white blood cells. The result is blood plasma with a high concentration of platelets, referred to as platelet-rich plasma (PRP).

What conditions does PRP treat?

Clinicians use PRP injections to treat a range of musculoskeletal conditions, some of which include:

Osteoarthritis of the hip, knee, or shoulder joints

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that causes cartilage to wear away over time, leading to pain and inflammation when bones are no longer covered sufficiently by cartilage. The joint area swells up and becomes stiff. PRP injections into the joint reduce osteoarthritis pain by regenerating cartilage and reducing inflammation and stiffness.

Torn rotator cuff injury

Rotator cuff tears are a common shoulder injury that results from regular overuse of the shoulder, mostly common among athletes. PRP has been shown to speed up healing and help prevent surgery and offers a shorter recovery time than surgery.

Knee injuries

Meniscus tear

PRP therapy for meniscus tears has helped athletes return to sports faster, requiring shorter rehabilitation. PRP is usually used in conjunction with other treatments. While it brings short-term relief, scientists must still confirm its long-term effectiveness.

ACL injury

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are usually treated with reconstructive surgery. ACL surgery is highly invasive and can lead to decreased muscle strength and osteoarthritis later on.

PRP has been shown to be an effective treatment for ACL injuries. PRP contains growth elements that promote healing, eliminating the need for surgery and long post-surgery rehabilitation.

Spinal Conditions

Various spinal conditions can be treated with PRP, including spinal arthritis, degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, facet joint pain, and sacroiliac joint pain. Research has shown that PRP is a promising treatment for spinal pain. PRP for spinal conditions is still in the emerging phase because strict protocols for its application have not been established yet.

PRP is more well-established in fields like orthopaedics and aesthetics.

Soft Tissue Damage

Platelet-rich plasma therapy is particularly effective in areas with poor blood supply, such as joints, but its usefulness is not limited to joint issues. PRP also treats soft tissue problems, including ligaments, muscles, tendons, and cartilage tears.

Plantar Fasciitis Pain

Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition that is challenging to treat. Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the plantar fascia, the thick tissue under the foot. The inflammation causes pain under the foot, mostly in the heel area. It is notoriously difficult to treat.

PRP injections have been shown to be highly effective in treating plantar fasciitis pain.

What does PRP treatment involve?

PRP injections are an outpatient procedure. They take longer than other injections because the doctor must draw your blood and prepare it for injection. The drawn blood is put in a centrifuge and spun rapidly to produce PRP. This takes 45 to 90 minutes. Your doctor may use ultrasound to guide the procedure.

You may need to take the following precautions before the treatment.

Refrain from taking corticosteroid medications for 2 to 3 weeks before the procedure.
Refrain from taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or aspirin for a week before the procedure.
Avoid taking anticoagulation medication for 5 days before the procedure.
Drink plenty of fluids the day before the procedure.

Depending on the condition being treated, repeat injections may be needed.

Does PRP carry any risks?

All treatments carry some risk. Most risks related to PRP treatments are common to treatments involving needles.

These risks are negligible when performed by a skilled professional. Your doctor will inform you of the risks, which include:

Infection

Extracting blood and injecting PRP create the risk of needle contamination. Experienced medical professionals are skilled at ensuring sterile instruments and environment, so infection is highly unlikely.

Nerve Injuries

Because there’s a risk of nerve damage in the injection area, doctors use ultrasound imaging to guide the process, which minimises the risk.

Tissue Damage

Tissue damage is possible if the wrong-sized needle is used or used inexpertly, causing inflammation and pain. This is highly unlikely, though, since medical professionals are highly experienced in administering injections.

Pain at the Point of Injection

Pain, redness, and slight swelling are common with many injections. It’s no different with PRP treatments. For most people, the pain and discomfort will disappear in a few days.

All in all, PRP injections are a low-risk treatment. The treatment is minimally invasive and seldom leads to side effects.

What are the benefits of PRP?

There is little or no risk of adverse reactions since the PRP comes from the patient’s own blood.
PRP treatment is a non-invasive procedure that requires minimal recovery time.
Compared to surgery, it is a cost-effective treatment for conditions that traditionally require surgery to bring about relief.
PRP injections can be administered alone or used in conjunction with other treatments.
PRP can improve healing, tissue repair, and regeneration.
By reducing pain, improving mobility, and restoring function, PRP therapy enhances the overall quality of life for patients.
PRP therapy effectively reduces pain and inflammation for some patients with chronic musculoskeletal conditions like osteoarthritis.
The short recovery time allows athletes and professional sports participants to return to active participation quickly.

What does PRP cost in Singapore?

In Singapore, the average cost of a PRP treatment ranges from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Generally, the price ranges from $500 to $1,500 per session. The clinic’s reputation, the practitioner’s expertise, the condition to be treated and the number of sessions required determine the price.

Standard health insurance often doesn’t accept claims for these treatments as they are not recognised as approved medical procedures but rather as elective or experimental. However, patients with Medisave coverage can claim for this procedure.

Is PRP a Successful Therapy?

Research on PRP therapy is still in the beginning stages, and research findings are inconsistent. Some patients report long-term relief of pain, while others experience no difference in their level of discomfort. The medical profession and scientists are unsure why this is the case, so research is ongoing.

Doctors can’t say with certainty that a PRP injection will work for a patient and their condition. Most doctors offer PRP treatments in conjunction with other treatments, not as the sole solution to a health condition. For example, it is not uncommon for PRP injections to be used in combination with cortisone injections.

PRP therapy, like other medical treatments, is not equally effective for all patients and all conditions. The potential of PRP therapy to treat medical conditions effectively is still under investigation. If you think that you might benefit from this treatment, consult with a healthcare professional for personalised advice.

Making the Best of Your PRP Treatments

To get the most out of your PRP treatments, keep these suggestions in mind:

Stay hydrated

Drink about 500ml of water on the day of your treatment.

Eat normally

Your body requires nutrition to heal. You don’t need to change your diet. Just stick to a balanced eating pattern consisting of nutrient-packed meals.

Keep moving

Movement helps the body to heal, but don’t overdo it. Go for a short stroll or do some light yoga to improve circulation and promote recovery.

Don’t smoke

Smoking is counterproductive to healing. It reduces blood flow, limiting the oxygen and nutrients tissues need to heal.

Avoid alcohol

Alcohol can diminish platelet function, impeding the healing process.

Weighing Up the Benefits and the Cost – Is PRP Therapy Worth It?

Deciding whether PRP treatment is worth it requires considering the benefits and risks, as well as the cost.

On the Plus Side:

PRP therapy is a safe procedure with little risk of adverse reactions. It is a less invasive alternative treatment option than surgery, offering minimal downtime, making it ideal for people who don’t want surgery and want to avoid lengthy recovery times.

Research has shown that PRP is effective for certain orthopaedic conditions, such as joint and tendon injuries, among other health complaints.

PRP has proven successful at relieving pain and improving function in patients with osteoarthritis.

On the Other Hand:

PRP is still plagued by uncertainty. So far, limited research has delivered conflicting results. More robust research is needed before we can be sure if the result of PRP treatments justify the cost.

The injections are expensive. In Singapore, PRP injections costs between $500–1,500 per session, and patients often require more than one injection. Also, health insurance doesn’t usually cover this type of treatment, making it inaccessible to some patients.

So, what is the conclusion: when is PRP therapy worth it?

Opting for PRP treatment makes sense if:

There is strong scientific evidence that it works for your condition (you have mild osteoarthritis, tendon injuries, or another condition with scientific proof).
You prefer a non-surgical treatment.
You can afford the cost of repeated injections for a chronic condition.

Conclusion

Scientists are still researching platelet-rich plasma therapy for various conditions. While scientific evidence is inconclusive, many medical professionals and researchers think the treatment has enormous potential. PRP offers a promising option for the treatment of conditions that have been challenging to treat successfully. If you are looking for relief from persistent symptoms, PRP treatment and therapy could be the answer. Consult your healthcare provider to find out if this advanced treatment can work for you.