Orthobiologic Myth #6“PRP is just spinning blood and injecting it."
- cassis101
- Oct 20
- 2 min read
By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Pain Experts | Dallas–Plano
“PRP is just spinning blood and injecting it.”
A colleague of mine once called and asked how much blood I draw for a PRP knee procedure.I was honestly flabbergasted—because that question misses the entire point.
That’s like asking, “How much anesthesia do you give?” Any experienced physician knows the answer depends on the patient, the pathology, and the plan.
When a patient comes in with knee pain, I don’t simply inject PRP into the joint and hope for the best. I start with a complete diagnostic process:
Ultrasound imaging to evaluate soft tissue and joint structures
Stress ultrasound testing to assess ligament and meniscal stability
MRI correlation to identify cartilage or bone pathology that might not appear on X-ray
Targeted physical examination to link the findings to the patient’s actual pain generator
Only after integrating all this data do I decide what to treat, where to deliver it, and how concentrated the PRP should be.
That’s what real PRP dosing looks like — it’s based on science, not simplicity.
Precision and Pathology Define Results
PRP therapy isn’t about how much blood you draw.It’s about how intelligently you use it.
Precision matters at every level:
The platelet concentration determines the biologic signal strength.
The delivery plane (intra-articular, subchondral, ligamentous, or muscular) dictates tissue response.
The pathology—cartilage wear, ligament strain, or bone microfracture—guides both dose and delivery.
Each target structure has its own biological language.For example:
Ligaments often require higher concentrations to stimulate collagen cross-linking.
Cartilage may respond best to moderate concentrations that avoid inflammation yet trigger anabolic repair.
Subchondral bone benefits from focused delivery into the micro-environment where bone marrow cells communicate with overlying cartilage.
True orthobiologic medicine is about matching the dose to the diagnosis—not using a one-size-fits-all spin.
Ask the Right Questions Before You Commit
If you’ve been told PRP is “just spinning blood and injecting it, ”that’s your cue to dig deeper.
Ask your provider:
What PRP system do you use—and how do you verify platelet concentration?
Will imaging be used to ensure precise placement?
What structure are you targeting, and what is the biological rationale?
Because precision and pathology define whether PRP truly works—or merely gets injected.
At Pain Experts, every procedure is built on diagnostic clarity and biologic logic.That’s the difference between “just a shot” and a precision-engineered regenerative treatment.
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