# The sore body part changes what research found *What Research Found by Joint | PRP Therapy Glendale* > PRP therapy Glendale findings for knee, shoulder, elbow, hip, and tendon soreness, including where a blood-based shot did and didn’t help. ## A knee and a shoulder don’t have the same evidence Glendale offers golf, court sports, trails, and jobs that keep you standing. Each asks something different of your joints. A knee that aches on stairs isn’t the same trouble as a shoulder that hurts overhead. Doctors call the blood shot PRP, short for platelet-rich plasma; it uses spun blood liquid carrying extra platelets, small blood parts involved in repair. I’d trust a careful answer for one body part more than a broad promise. ## Knee results range from some relief to no clear difference Knee arthritis can cause stiffness after sitting, aching on longer walks, and swelling after a busy day. Regular exercise can ease soreness and help you move, though it takes steady work. Some braces and walking aids help as well. Reports that combine several PRP studies found less knee soreness than some other shots. After a year, however, one large trial of PRP against salt water found about equal pain and movement. Nobody can tell you which result you’ll have. For a sore knee, honest doubt belongs in the answer. ## Shoulder and elbow results depend on the comparison A shoulder tendon may ache while you reach up, lift, or lie on that side. An elbow tendon often hurts while gripping. One shoulder study found PRP helped pain and use more than a cortisone shot for a short time. Another found no better result than a salt-water shot when both groups did the same exercises. Elbow reports suggest PRP may take months to show a difference. QC Kinetix has medical providers, or staff trained to check your sore area, who offer non-surgical regenerative treatments; one such blood-based choice is PRP. An exam still needs to find the sore tissue first. The other care in a study can change its answer. ## Hip tendons looked more hopeful than the Achilles tendon Soreness at the side of your hip can come from tendons used in walking. The Achilles tendon runs behind the ankle and may hurt on hills. Research found more hope for some hip tendon soreness than for long-lasting Achilles soreness. A fresh hamstring injury had mixed results too. None of that gives you a set return day. For your knee, exercise may include short walks and practice rising from a chair. Shoulder work may use gentle reaching and light strength moves. If two study groups improve after doing the same exercises, the shot may not deserve the credit. First name your sore tissue, then discuss what may help it. ## Sources 1. 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](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20068208/). *JAMA*, 2010. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2009.1986. 2. 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](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23825183/). *American Journal of Sports Medicine*, 2014. DOI: 10.1177/0363546513494359. 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](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23893418/). *American Journal of Sports Medicine*, 2013. DOI: 10.1177/0363546513496542. 4. A double-blind randomized controlled trial of 99 patients with imaging-proven partial-thickness rotator cuff tears or tendinopathy compared ultrasound-guided PRP with corticosteroid, following patients to 12 months. PRP produced significantly better short-term pain relief and function than corticosteroid on VAS, ASES and WORC scores. Kwong CA, Woodmass JM, Gusnowski EM, et al. — [Platelet-Rich Plasma in Patients With Partial-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears or Tendinopathy Leads to Significantly Improved Short-Term Pain Relief and Function Compared With Corticosteroid Injection: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33127554/). *Arthroscopy*, 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.arthro.2020.10.037. 5. A randomized double-blind trial of 80 patients with chronic gluteal tendinopathy (lateral hip pain) compared a single ultrasound-guided PRP injection with a single corticosteroid injection. At 12 weeks the PRP group had significantly better modified Harris Hip Scores (P=.048), and 82% versus 56.7% of patients reached the minimal clinically important difference (P=.016). Fitzpatrick J, Bulsara MK, O'Donnell J, et al. — [The Effectiveness of Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections in Gluteal Tendinopathy: A Randomized, Double-Blind Controlled Trial Comparing a Single Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection With a Single Corticosteroid Injection](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29293361/). *American Journal of Sports Medicine*, 2018. DOI: 10.1177/0363546517745525. 6. Two-year follow-up of the same 80-patient gluteal tendinopathy trial found the single leukocyte-RICH PRP injection produced improvement that was sustained at 104 weeks (mHHS 53.77 at baseline to 82.59 at two years; P<.0001), whereas the corticosteroid improvement peaked at six weeks and was not maintained beyond 24 weeks. This is one of the clearest demonstrations that leukocyte-rich PRP is the formulation with evidence in TENDON, not in cartilage. Fitzpatrick J, Bulsara MK, O'Donnell J, et al. — [Leucocyte-Rich Platelet-Rich Plasma Treatment of Gluteus Medius and Minimus Tendinopathy: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial With 2-Year Follow-up](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30840831/). *American Journal of Sports Medicine*, 2019. DOI: 10.1177/0363546519826969. 7. A randomized controlled trial of acute hamstring injury found patients treated with a single autologous PRP injection plus a rehabilitation programme returned to play significantly earlier than those doing rehabilitation alone (26.7 +/- 7.0 days versus 42.5 +/- 20.6 days; P=.02), with lower pain severity scores throughout. A Hamid MS, Mohamed Ali MR, Yusof A, et al. — [Platelet-rich plasma injections for the treatment of hamstring injuries: a randomized controlled trial](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25073598/). *American Journal of Sports Medicine*, 2014. DOI: 10.1177/0363546514541540. 8. A systematic review and meta-analysis with best-worst case analysis found statistically NON-significant evidence that PRP with or without physical therapy reduced mean time to return to play or reinjury rates for hamstring injuries compared with no treatment or physical therapy alone, in short-term follow-up. Complication rates (postinjection discomfort, pain or sciatic nerve irritation) averaged 5.2% +/- 2.9%. The pooled picture does not support the single positive trial. Seow D, Shimozono Y, Tengku Yusof TNB, et al. — [Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection for the Treatment of Hamstring Injuries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis With Best-Worst Case Analysis](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32427520/). *American Journal of Sports Medicine*, 2021. DOI: 10.1177/0363546520916729. 9. 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](https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfPCD/classification.cfm?ID=JQC). *FDA accessdata (CDRH device databases)*, 2003. ## A useful visit leaves you with answers Point to the soreness and show the movement that brings it on. Take any X-ray report and a written note of every medicine you use. Ask what the exam showed, which choices fit, what their limits are, and what comes next if PRP isn’t right for you. Book a free consultation: --- What may be making your joint sore, and the next step you can take. PRP therapy Glendale answers what may be making a joint sore, what can help at home, and what care is worth discussing. Plain help with a sore joint, home care, warning signs, and nearby visits. 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