What are Platelets?
Platelets are crucial blood cells with multiple functions, including aiding in blood clotting, providing a scaffold for tissue healing, and producing growth factors that facilitate self-healing.
Platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections are a modern regenerative therapy used in the treatment of many chronic and acute musculoskeletal injuries. Derived from the patient's own blood, PRP contains platelets, growth factors, and stem cells that aid in enhancing the body's natural healing process.
Who Can Benefit?
PRP is effective for both treating both acute and chronic joint, tendon, and ligament injuries. Common conditions treated include:
These injections help a variety of conditions, including
- Osteoarthritis (knee, hip, shoulder, ankle)
- Meniscus injuries
- Ligament sprains
- Muscle tears
- Tendinosis
- Rotator cuff (RTC) tear
- Tennis/golfer's elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
- Patellar tendinosis
- Ankle sprains
- Achilles tendinosis or rupture (boot protocol)
- Gluteal tendinosis
- Hamstring/adductor tendinosis
If you unsure if your condition or injury can be treated with a PRP injection, ask your healthcare practitioner or naturopathic doctor during your next visit.
How Does It Work?
PRP is a concentration of platelets, growth factors and stem cells derived from your own blood to help the body’s own healing capabilities.
These compounds are important in attracting other cells that aid in healing, stimulating new blood vessel formation, and promoting regeneration of damaged tissue. Processing the blood into PRP results in a high concentration of platelets that release growth factors and stimulate tissue repair and regeneration. This process promotes a natural healing response, supporting the health of the joint and surrounding tissues.
Tendons and ligaments have poor vasculature by nature. and can therefore take longer to heal than tissue with good blood supply. PRP circumvents that issue and helps those areas to heal faster.

Treatment Process
PRP injections involve a simple in-office procedure. Using the Arthrex Angel® System, platelets are extracted from the blood and injected into injured or degenerative sites within the body.
PRP injections are guided by ultrasound to ensure precise administration to the damaged tissue. Research indicates that ultrasound guidance improves injection accuracy, effectiveness, and outcomes. We offer advanced image guided injection at Active Solutions Health + Sport, and recommend that this be done for all injections to improve outcomes.
PRP treatment is typically not covered by insurance. If your insurance plan has a “health spending account”, those funds can be used to cover your treatment.
Treatment Frequency
- The number of PRP treatments required varies per individual. Most patients typically need 2-6 sets of injections at 4-6 week intervals for optimal results.
- Some patients may require repeat injections months or even years later, but this is different for everyone. For knee osteoarthritis maintenance, 1-2 injections per year may be recommended.
- The outcomes vary based on the underlying condition and any recurrent injuries.
Pre/Post-Injection Care
If you take any NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) or steroid on a regular basis, refrain from use 4-6 weeks prior to PRP treatment, and hold off until PRP treatment is completed.
If you take any NSAID or Steroid on a non-regular basis, it may be fine to continue taking it as needed. Ask your physician about your particular situation.
Possible Side Effects & Considerations
As with any type of injection there is a small risk of infection, injury to blood vessels, nerves, tendons, and/or ligament, and a small risk of bleeding or bruising.
Patients often experience a temporary increase in pain for 3-7 days following the injection. Ensure you have the time to recover after your treatment.
If you are sick, discuss this with a physician before considering this treatment. If you have inflammatory arthritis that is currently active, PRP injection should be delayed until the inflammatory process is under control.
PRP vs. Corticosteroid Injections
While corticosteroid injections provide immediate relief, they may come with potential side effects. PRP, on the other hand, promotes regeneration and stimulates the body's immune response, offering longer-term benefits and fewer side effects compared to corticosteroid injections.
Treatment Expectations
With proper patient selection, favourable outcomes can be achieved for various musculoskeletal conditions. Individuals with higher baseline platelet levels and overall metabolic fitness tend to yield better results from PRP injections.
As platelet rich plasma is a regenerative treatment, patients require multiple treatments over an extended period of time. The amount of time until a patient sees benefits varies from weeks to months.
On average, we find that most patients show improvement 3-4 months after the first treatment The response time depends on factors such as treatment concentration, patient health, and the condition being treated.
Get Started
For regenerative therapy of musculoskeletal injuries, consider the long-lasting benefits of platelet rich plasma injections.