PRP injections for joint, tendon, and bursa pain
Platelet-rich plasma for hip, knee, shoulder, and elbow problems — performed by a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, for patients across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia.
Done by an orthopedic surgeon, not a wellness clinic
Most PRP in this region is given by clinics that don’t operate — wellness centers, chiropractors, and standalone regenerative practices whose entire business is the injection. If the injection is the only thing on the menu, everyone who walks in is a candidate.
I’m a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who performs more than 600 hip and knee replacements a year. That means I can tell you where PRP genuinely fits in your particular problem, what it’s likely to do, and what the other options are — including the ones that aren’t an injection. You get the full picture, not just the thing that happens to be for sale.
For a joint, tendon, or bursa that hasn’t settled, PRP can keep you moving and buy real time before an operation you’re not ready for.
Preserve the joint when possible. Replace it when necessary.
Joints, tendons, and bursae
Hip — inside the joint
Performed under ultrasound guidance. The hip sits deep beneath muscle, and it is the one joint where landmarks alone are not reliable enough to know the injection went where it was meant to go. Guidance here isn’t a flourish; it’s what makes the injection worth doing.
Hip — greater trochanteric bursa
The pain on the outside of the hip that hurts to lie on at night. Often mislabeled as arthritis when it is a soft-tissue problem, and one of the more reliably responsive targets.
Knee — inside the joint
The most common request. Best suited to mild-to-moderate arthritis where there is still cartilage to work with. A superficial, reliably accessible joint, so it is injected by landmark.
Knee — pes anserine bursa
Pain along the inner side of the knee, just below the joint line. Frequently coexists with arthritis and frequently gets missed, so the knee gets treated while the actual pain generator doesn’t.
Shoulder — rotator cuff
Rotator cuff tendinopathy and partial-thickness irritation. Tendon problems are where the evidence for PRP is at its strongest — a different and better-supported use than arthritis.
Elbow
Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow. Among the longest-standing uses of PRP, and a common presentation in a region that plays a lot of both.
Exactly what you get, and what it costs
$800 per injection · two injections, two weeks apart
$1,600 for a standard course. PRP is considered investigational, so insurance doesn’t cover it for anything — arthritis, bursitis, or tendon problems alike. It is eligible for FSA and HSA funds. The price is here rather than behind a consultation because you should be able to decide whether it’s worth it before you book.
Your blood is drawn and spun in the office the same day using a single-spin, leukocyte-rich preparation, then injected into the target joint or tendon. Hip injections are performed under ultrasound guidance; the more superficial targets are reliably reached by landmark and don’t require it.
The whole thing takes about 25 minutes: 5–10 minutes to draw roughly 10 cc of blood from your arm, 10 minutes in the centrifuge, and about 5 minutes to inject. You walk out and drive yourself home. Expect some soreness and bruising for a few days — that’s part of the response, not a complication.
Who this helps, and what to expect
Usually a good fit
- Mild-to-moderate arthritis — there is still cartilage to work with
- You want to stay active now and postpone a replacement you’re not ready for
- Cortisone helped but didn’t last, or you’d rather not keep repeating steroid injections
- Tendon or bursal pain that hasn’t settled with rest and physical therapy
- You’re too young for a replacement to be the obvious answer and want to buy time
What I’ll be straight with you about
- With advanced, bone-on-bone arthritis, a replacement is the more dependable answer, and I’ll say so plainly. But if you’re not ready for an operation, I’m not going to push you into one — PRP is a reasonable way to buy time, and I’ll offer it.
- It doesn’t regrow cartilage and it isn’t permanent. Arthritis is progressive; this buys time rather than stopping the clock.
- It’s gradual. If you need reliable relief by a fixed date a few weeks out, this isn’t the right tool for that deadline.
- It works better for some targets than others — the evidence is stronger for tendon and bursal problems than for arthritis.
Reasons we’d hold off
- Active infection at or near the injection site
- Certain blood or platelet disorders
- Anticoagulation that can’t safely be paused — tell us what you take when you schedule
How to prepare
The preparation matters more than patients expect — anti-inflammatories work directly against the response we’re trying to create. Our team walks you through all of this when you schedule.
- No corticosteroid injection at the same site for at least 3 weeks beforehand
- Stop aspirin 1 week before
- Stop anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) 48 hours before
- Increase fluids for 24 hours beforehand, and come hydrated and fed
- Afterwards: ice and Tylenol as needed, light activity that day, back to normal the next
- No NSAIDs for 1 week after — they work against the response we’re trying to create
Against cortisone, and against surgery
Cortisone works within days and is usually covered by insurance, which makes it the right tool for settling a flare quickly. PRP is slower and out-of-pocket, but it uses your own biology and in patients who respond the benefit tends to last longer. They’re different tools, and plenty of patients use both.
Joint replacement is the dependable answer once arthritis is advanced. PRP is not competing with it — it’s what you do in the years before, if there’s still cartilage worth protecting.
We also offer EPAT shockwave therapy for chronic tendon pain — non-invasive, no needles, delivered over several short sessions.
For the deeper version of this — how PRP works, what the response looks like month by month, and how it compares with cortisone and replacement — see my full guide to PRP for hip and knee arthritis. For the other non-surgical options, see non-surgical treatment of hip and knee arthritis.
See whether you’re a candidate
Tell us which joint is bothering you and what you’ve already tried. Our team will get you scheduled at the Washington, D.C. or Germantown office — and if it turns out PRP isn’t the right answer for your joint, we’ll tell you that at the visit rather than after.
Questions patients ask
How much does PRP cost, and does insurance cover it?
Each injection is $800, and a standard course is two injections spaced two weeks apart — $1,600 in total. PRP is considered investigational, so insurance does not cover it for anything — arthritis, bursitis, or tendon problems alike. It is eligible for FSA and HSA funds. It is an out-of-pocket decision, which is exactly why the price is on this page rather than behind a consultation.
Is PRP the same as stem cell therapy?
No, and the distinction matters. PRP is a concentrate of platelets from a sample of your own blood, drawn and spun in the office the same day. It is not a stem cell product. Clinics marketing "stem cell" injections for arthritis are frequently overstating both what is in the syringe and what it can do. If a clinic promises to regrow your cartilage, be skeptical.
What does the visit actually involve?
About 10 cc of blood is drawn from your arm, spun in the office for around 10 minutes to concentrate the platelets, and injected into the joint, tendon, or bursa. Start to finish it is roughly 25 minutes and you drive yourself home. Expect soreness and some bruising for a few days — that is a normal part of the response, not a complication.
How long until it works, and how long does it last?
It is not a quick fix. If the injection is working, improvement usually starts around two weeks, with maximum benefit around six weeks. Relief commonly lasts several months, and the injection can be repeated. Arthritis is progressive, so this buys time rather than stopping the clock.
Will PRP let me avoid a joint replacement?
With mild-to-moderate arthritis, it can genuinely delay one — sometimes for years — by keeping you comfortable and active. With advanced, bone-on-bone arthritis, a replacement is the more dependable answer and I will say so. But if you are not ready for an operation, I am not going to push you into one; PRP is a reasonable way to buy time and I will offer it.
How honest is the evidence for PRP?
Mixed, and I would rather say so. The studies on PRP for knee arthritis vary in quality and in how the preparation is made, and results differ between them — which is precisely why insurers do not cover it. The evidence is stronger for tendon problems than for arthritis. What I can tell you is that for appropriately selected patients I see meaningful benefit, and that patient selection is what separates a treatment worth paying for from one that isn’t.
Do I have to stop my anti-inflammatories?
Yes. Stop NSAIDs 48 hours before and avoid them for a week afterwards, and stop aspirin a week before — they work against the response PRP is trying to produce. We also ask for no steroid injection at the same site for three weeks beforehand. Tell us about any blood thinners when you schedule.
What patients say
“A really smooth operation — I was discharged the same day and basically able to walk easily within a day.”
“I walked into the surgical center in great pain and walked out with a new knee and a renewed person.”
“My full knee replacement is a big success — six months after surgery I’m hiking and kayaking again.”
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Find out whether PRP is worth it for your joint
Schedule a consultation with Dr. Harb to discuss your hip or knee and build a plan to get you back to the activities you love.