In November, I visited Dr. Allan Mishra's office for a belated followup on the platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatment for elbow tendonitis he'd administered in July 2007. As was the case before my six month followup visit, I was feeling a bit disheartened at the condition of my right elbow. And fortunately, as was the case after that visit, I was once again heartened (reheartened?) at both my current condition and future prospects.
Despite over 16 months having elapsed since the PRP injection, I was still feeling pain after any kind of even moderate exertion, e.g., giving my wife a neck massage while sitting together on the couch. Although the pain was relatively minor, it was still recurring regularly (I like to give Amy neck massages), at a time when I had hoped that everything would finally be back to normal.
I was supposed to return to the Menlo Sports Medicine clinic for a 12-month followup visit, but due to a job change, I hadn't been in the Bay area since last January. Amy had mentioned the ongoing lack of full resolution to a local orthopedic surgeon who was treating my son's broken knee in July, who suggested we may want to consider surgery. Around that time, I had a paper accepted to the CSCW 2008 conference in San Diego (held in November), so I decided I'd stop off in San Francisco on my return to visit Dr. Mishra and see what he had to say.
After describing the persisting symptoms to Dr. Mishra, he examined my elbow, performed a few tests, and asked me where exactly the pain was located. The tests revealed that my grip strength was holding steady at 135 psi, with a pain level of [at most] 1 out of 10 (compared with a pre-injection grip strength of 65 with pain level 5), my wrist extension was a full 5 out of 5 with a pain level less than 1 (vs. pre-injection levels of 4 / 5 and a pain level of 9), and palpation – level of tenderness in my elbow – had decreased from 8 or 9 down to 1. I pointed to the the outer part of my forearm, about an inch or two
below the elbow, as the area with the pain. When he asked whether there was any pain in the elbow
itself, I realized that there was none (doh!).
Dr. Mishra told me that however long a joint has been in a state of injury or disrepair, it typically takes twice as long – after [successful] treatment – for it, and the surrounding area, to fully heal. This is, in part, due to atrophy in the affiliated muscles that occurs after long periods of reduced use or disuse. Given that my elbow was in a compromised state for a large portion of the nearly 3 years prior to the injection, it could take 5-6 years for the elbow – and the upper forearm – to fully return to normal 🙁
Despite this rather sobering news, he told me he considered me a "poster child" for PRP treatments for the elbow. My elbow had been in the worst shape of any person he's yet treated solely with PRP; typically, he would have combined the PRP injection with surgery for someone who had suffered so long. The progress I've made thus far has been very encouraging to him, which offers further encouragement to me, and he thinks that it likely that I – or, at least, my elbow – will eventually return to normal.
We then talked about the theraband exercises he'd prescribed, I admitted I'd not been very diligent in doing them (probably around once every several weeks, rather than several times per week). I also told him that the exercises often triggered elbow pain (and pain in the upper forearm), and so he asked me to show him how I was performing them. He noted that I was going overboard in the exercises – bending at the elbow rather than the wrist, and thus placing unnecessary (and counteproductive) stress on the elbow joint. He said this was a common misapplication of the exercises, and after showing me how to do them correctly – bending slowly at the wrist – I suggested that maybe I could create and post a video of the right (and wrong) ways.
So, after some delay, I've created and posted my first public YouTube video, Elbow Exercises, post-PRP treatment:
As I note in the video narration, I'm hoping that this public posting of the video will both help others perform the exercises correctly, and provide additional motivation for me to perform them more regularly. And hopefully, sometime in the next few years, I'll be able to post yet another update, reporting that my elbow has completely healed.
Comments
37 responses to “16 month update on my elbow Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) treatment”
Kia ora Joe,
Glad to read the elbow has improved and will continue to do so. I remember dislocating my elbow at Ripon College and the pt I had to endure was both boring and painful but I stuck it out, even to this day it causes me some problems so i may get one of those therabands and give it a go.
On another note just said farewell to Jeff, who should be back in wintry Madison by now. We spent 5 days in the mountains playing and roaming around a bit. So great to reconnect in that sort of environment. We thought of you. You mentioned your camping trip with him as being an adventure but I also recall you, Jeff, and I doing a canoe trip down the Wisconsin river for a few days which was pretty cool. Check out the blog for a few photos and thoughts. My best New Years wishes to you and your family. Rangimarie.
Noho ora mai ra e hoa,
Robb
Thank you for creating this blog. I have been recommended to try PRP and just needed excactly something like this, to make a descision Thank you Reini
Just stumbled upon your blog…I just had elbow prp 2 days ago. Had a much different experience than you did. Had the most excrutiating pain during and post injection, that I nearly passed out. Felt like someone hit my elbow and wrist with a sledgehammer. Had to stay at the hospital and have a hypo of morphine. Have had to rely on vicodin for 2 more days and I’m no baby…I’d rather have had my appendix, gallbladder and tonsils all out at the same time, than have another of these injections! I was so excited to try this therapy and still remain very hopeful after suffering for 7 years now. I was my surgeons first patient for this therapy and I trust him thoroughly, to be his first patient. I just wonder what type of experience others are having and whether it’s typical to be nearly pain free during the injection, like you were, or to be wracked with unbearable pain, like me. Also, it’s hard to find any real information about what the risks are, on the internet or with local doctors. You mention that you were told not to fly during the first week, due to risk of blood clots? I was not told of any risks. If you feel inclined to answer by question about what the risks are, that would be great. Interesting side note, my brother and his family live in Woodinville…originally from North Dakota, where I still live. Thank you for your blog. Wish I had found it before the treatment, but nonetheless, it’s been very helpful to me. Thanks!
LaRayne: I just reread the 1-week “progress report” post on my PRP treatment that I wrote almost 3 years ago, and it appears that I had some pain during the first day or two following the injection, but nothing like the level that you describe. I did not experience any significant pain during the injection itself.
I don’t know much about others’ experiences, but Dr. Mishra, who treated my elbow, has established an online information network and support group for those interested or involved in PRP treatment, the Total Tendon Network, that might offer a broader range of experiences.
I remember that at the time, Dr. Mishra said that there were a few variables in the experimental treatment whose values were not widely agreed to yet, so there was considerable variation in the injections given by different doctors and in the overall treatment procedures. I don’t know whether things have become more standardized since then, but you may want to get more details about your own treatment, e.g., volume of platelets, injection target site (muscle, tissue, etc.) … and actual site.
I believe that the recommendation not to fly was based on the potential risk of clotting, but I cannot say for sure.
As for other risks, it seems to me that the primary risk was that the PRP treatment [alone] might not work, and so there could be further delay in the recovery of full, pain-free functioning of my elbow. At the time, Dr. Mishra says that my condition was the worst he had yet treated with PRP, and I was right on the border of where he would normally recommend surgery or PRP + surgery. I tend to prefer non-invasive treatments – as does Dr. Mishra – and so we decided that we would try PRP alone, and if that did not work, we could followup with surgery, likely accompanied with a second PRP injection. Fortunately, the first treatment worked.
Best wishes for similar success with your treatment!
Thanks for the quick response! I’ll definately check out the Total Tendon Network and see if I can learn more there. It was great finding such a detailed personal accounting of the process from someone who actually went through it. Thanks for sharing!
I had PRP done a little over two weeks ago. My doc used an ultrasound and found tears and holes in my elbow. They first did a fat graft, taking some fat from my love-handle area of my side and then injected that fat into the holes. After that, they injected the PRP. The pain was excruciating during the procedure. I felt very sick and I’m sure would have passed out if the doc had not stopped for a while.
I lift weights and I’m a competitive handgun shooters. For several years I would get tennis elbow but I would use one of those tennis-elbow bands and that would normally prevent the pain from getting worse. This year the band didn’t work and the pain increased. The pain got so bad that I could not shake hands, hold my gun during competition without pain, or lift any weight. It even hurt when picking up a glass of water.
Currently I don’t feel much pain if I keep my arm close to my body. However, if I extend my arm out, like I do when I shoot my handgun, it hurts like hell…especially when trying to grip something.
My insurance didn’t pay for any of this since they consider it to still be experimental and because they don’t have a procedure code assigned to it. So I paid about $1000 out of my own pocket. My doc said it might take 2 or 3 sessions…I sure hope not since I couldn’t even afford one session (I put it on the credit card).
I’m currently sitting at home when I could be out shooting or lifting weights. Not being able to do the things I love is really disheartening.
Thanks for your blog. Hope we all get better!
D
@D Kent: For me, the daily / recurring pain prior to my treatment was associated with lifting my 22-ounce mug of coffee rather than a handgun (or a glass of water).
FWIW, one of the people who posted a comment on my initial post on mending tendinitis with platelet rich plasma suggested that medical code 20551 might be used to seek insurance reimbursement for the procedure. I posted a followup comment on that post containing some additional information I found about that code.
Your comment reminds me that I’d meant to post a new update at the 36-month (3 year) mark) this past July, so perhaps I’ll post one at the 40-month mark. I guess I don’t even think about my elbow anymore, except when someone comments on one of my elbow PRP posts, which is a good sign.
I hope you also reach a stage in the not-too-distant future where you no longer think about your elbow!
Hi again Joe…thought I’d post my own update since my injection July 8th, 2010…four months out, I am now where you are, completely forgetting that I ever had a problem with my elbow! I’ll be doing quite physical work and it will just hit me, like, “Wow, I have no elbow pain”. It’s been just awesome, after suffering for so long. All the pain of the initial injection was well worth it. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Continued success and healing to everyone.
@LaRayne: I’m glad to read that you have experienced such success with the PRP injection, and in such a relatively short period of time. Thanks for taking the time to loop back with an update, and I hope your elbow remains free and clear of pain.
Hi,
I hope you, and all the people commenting here are doing well. I am scheduled to undergo the same procedure in couple weeks and I am getting a little nervous reading about the pain that most of you have suffered during and after the injection ( I’m no baby either). My question is for all of you and specially Joe and LaRayne, did the doctor use ultrasound to guide the needle and did he give you a local anesthesia before the actual injection and if he did, which one hurt more?
I am actually kind of familiar with the pain, but I wander if I’ll be able to withstand the injection. Back in May I went to a different doctor and he gave me cortisone shot (big mistake). The actual injection was OK – unpleasant but not extremely painful. Couple days after that I was in probably 5-6 level of pain and then nothing for 4 months. After that the pain gradually become so bad that one night I had to go to the ER because I couldn’t stand it. Now I’m kind of OK and waiting for the PRP.
Please if you can, answer the question above and please share if you had similar experience with cortisone shots.
Thank you!
Theo: here is what I wrote in an earlier blog post, a progress report on my platelet rich plasma treatment (week 1):
In my update one month after my elbow PRP treatment, I wrote a bit about Cortisone:
Everything I’ve since heard or read suggests that Cortisone should be avoided, as it has a deleterious effect on the tissue into which it’s injected (I still have a “flat spot” on my elbow at the site of the previous Cortisone injections). That said, I don’t recall my pain getting substantially worse after the second Cortisone injection (or at least not in any way that led me to suspect it was due to the Cortisone). I wonder if the increased pain you experienced was due to other factors that might have been stressing your elbow.
In any case, I wish you all the best on your treatment and recovery!
Thanks for the answers. I suspect after the cortisone you started back with the anti-inflammatory meds? I think my pain got so bad because after I read that those meds have similar negative effects as the cortisone, I refused to take them.
One last question – did the doctor use an ultrasound to guide the needle?
Theo: I don’t recall ultrasound being used to guide the PRP injection or at any point during my treatment by Dr. Mishra. It was used for physical therapy during my two earlier treatments. Regarding anti-inflammatory meds, I took Celebrex during those first two treatments (which both included Coritisone), but after reports of Vioxx complications surfaced in 2004, I shifted to Ibuprofen for periodic pain relief.
Hello Theo….for my injection, ultrasound was not used to guide the needle. I was my surgeons first patient for this procedure, but I trusted him fully, since he had given me 4-5 cortisone injections through the years, in that elbow.
The cortisone injections were very tolerable. But, the PRP injection was the worst pain I have ever had. And, it did not subside after taking the needle out. It felt like he had broken my arm. I layed on a gurney for 10 minutes to see if it would subside and finally took a shot or morphine as the doctor had suggested. I was finally comfortable enough to go home about an hour later. My doctor commented that for his future patients, he was going to offer the narcotic BEFORE the injection.
Although it was so painful, it was worth it, because after suffering for so many years, not being able to garden, shovel snow or other activities without causing the elbow to flare-up…..it was worth all the pain of the injection.
Also, I do not recall getting a shot of novocaine first, before the PRP injection and I did think that was weird. I think that’s why my injection was so incredibly painful.
This same doctor gave me bi-lateral knee injections of Synvisc earlier this year and those injections were preceded by novocaine injections which were VERY painful. Then, when he went on to inject the Synvisc, all I felt was pressure. Although the novocaine in the knees was very painful, it was nowhere near as painsful as the PRP in my elbow.
After reading a lot of personal stories about PRP it seems that these injections are only mildly discomforting to most patients, but excrutiating for others. Guess I was just one of the “lucky” ones.
You’ve probably had your PRP by the time I post this, so I’d be curious how your procedure went!?
Hope it went well!
Thanks LaRayne,
The procedure is scheduled for this Wednesday. I will definitely post my experience when able to type again. According to my doctor, he has done around 200 PRPs and he uses ultrasound and gives Novocain, so I hope it won’t be that painful. I suspect your doctor hit a nerve (apparently there are plenty nerves passing and ending around the elbow), hence the excruciating pain – imagine a root canal without plenty of Novocain. The good news for you is that your pain free. How long did it take to recover and go back to normal functioning?
Same question goes to Kent, how are you feeling after your November procedure? I guess is a little too early, but it will be great if you share your experience.
Thank you all.
Theo—to answer your question about how long it took to recover and go back to normal functioning…I had moderate to severe pain for about 2 days. I took Vicoden. After that, the pain improved day by day for about a week or so. Then,for about 5 weeks it seemed that I would never improve, as the pain stayed relatively the same. I wasn’t even back to pre-injection pain levels. It was a little discouraging and left me wondering if the injection actually worked. The pain gradually reduced after that, over the course of the next 2 months, until it just kind of hit me one day, doing some physical work, that I no longer had pain.
I babied my elbow for about a month, but after that I just kept using it, testing it, to see how much I could do. My elbow told me how much I could do and I would stop short of re-injury. If what I was doing re-produced mild pain, I would stop whatever I was doing.
Prior to injection, it was impossible for me to even lift a coffee cup with my right arm or comb my hair. Now, about the only thing that causes me pain is snow shoveling, so I have to be really careful about that. I have had a couple of episodes of pain for 2-3 days after over-exerting recently, but thankfully the elbow returns to normal more quickly than prior to the injection. Think I’ll always have to be a bit cautious with it. Hope your procedure went well and you enjoy the holiday!
Hello all.
Joe asked me to post an update and said Theo had a question for me?? I assume it’s the question regarding the ultrasound? Anyway, I’ll answer a few of the questions I saw above.
My doctor first injected some kind of local anesthetic first. She also used something extremely cold on the surface (I imagine it was liquid nitrogen).
Regarding the ultrasound, yes my doc use the ultrasound to guide the needle.
For me, the needle from the fat graft hurt the worse. However, I had the advertised adrenalin/endorphin/whatever-they-call-it rush going (thanks to the two fat graft injections) when she inserted the PRP needle.
I have a friend who had the PRP injections done in her leg and she told me she passed out from the pain.
I think the worse the injury, the worse the pain will be from the injection…after all, they are sticking a needle directly into the injured area.
Chances are it’s going to hurt like a !#!#$@#….just be aware of it but don’t dwell on it. The biggest, most helpful, thing you can do is the BREATHE before and during the injection. It’s natural for the body to clench up…that’s what I did…and that will cause you to pass out or feel like you’re going to pass out. Take deep breaths!
As far as my update:
I’m about 8 weeks out from my PRP injection. The PRP provided some relief of the pain in my forearm, but I still have a lot of pain in my elbow. Due to this I went to see a orthepedic sports doc and was referred to Dr. George Paletta (who is famous for being the StLouis Cardinals and StL Rams surgeon). Doc Paletta thought that I did the right thing by trying PRP first, however, since I didn’t see at least a 60% improvement, he thought surgery was the way to go. At one point he asked me if I had tingling in my hands (which I said yes I have had tingling in my pinky, ring finger, palm, and thumb) so he scheduled a nerve conductivity test. It appears the thinking was that the elbow injury could have been pushing on the nerves, causing the tingling.
I got the results of the nerve conductivity test two days ago and it turns out that my elbow injury is NOT causing the tingling, however, it is a separate problem related to deterioration of the sheath around my nerve (I think the ulner nerve). He called it “cubital tunnel”. He also said I had mild carpal tunnel.
So here’s the deal…I’m schedule for surgery this coming Monday (3 days from now). They are going to open up my elbow and supposedly clean out the damaged tendon tissue in my elbow and do something else with the tendon. While they are in there, they are going to relocate my ulner nerve. There was some discussion about splitting my muscle and tucking the nerve in there or something….It’s really hard to follow the discussion when they are throwing out words like demylinating, ulner nerve transposition, cubital tunnel, carpal tunnel…etc, etc.
So that’s it dudes. Having surgery on Monday (my Christmas present to myself), will be in a sling for a while, then be healing and physical therapy for 3 months. Hopefully I will be good to go by spring.
Darren
@Darren: thanks for the update, and best wishes for the surgery tomorrow. I know that when Dr. Mishra was talking about the prospect of surgery for me – which was a strong probability in my case at the outset – he’d mentioned the idea of giving a second PRP injection along with the surgery. I don’t know if that’s an option – or advisable – for you (or others), but I wanted to at least mention it.
@LaRayne: thank you for the update, too. It sounds like your experience is similar to mine, and I hope that your recovery continues to go well.
@theo: I hope your procedure went well and that you, too, will experience a good recovery.
This is all of interest to me, as a person who is considering PRP for chronic lateral epicondIlytis. I am afraid of surgery, because I had it almost two years ago on the medial side, and never fully recovered. The elbow is still stiff, too.
I have tried four sessions of Prolotherapy over the past five months on the lateral epcondiliytis. It really hasn’t seemed to help. The Doc said that if there was no progress after four sessions, we should try PRP, that’s why I’m considering it some time in the next month.
A few questions
1. Has anyone heard of and/or done this? PRP after a few prolotherapy sessions that weren’t working (or were working too slowly). If so, did the PRP actually make a better (or worse) impact than the prolotherapy?
2. Those of you who’ve had success, did you also suffer from elbow stiffness in addition to pain prior the PRP; and, did the PRP help alleviate any of the stiffness, in addition to the pain? And yes, I have been doing PT to try tackling the stiffness….
Thanks for any info,
Eric
@Eric: I have no experience nor knowledge about PRP treatment following [other] prolotherapy treatment. My understanding is that PRP is a type or subclass of a prolotherapy treatment, but I am not an expert.
I do not recall any elbow stiffness – and in reviewing my very first post on mending tendonitis via platelet rich plasma, I do not see any mention of stiffness – so I can’t offer much help on that (either).
I don’t know whether or how often some of the other people who have undergone PRP treatment and posted helpful comments here check this or other PRP-related posts on my blog, but you may want to join Dr. Mishra’s online support group for PRP, Total Tendon Network as another channel for seeking answers to your questions.
Best wishes for successful treatment and recovery!
Hello everybody, finally I have some time to share my experience. It has been a little over a month after the PRP injection for me.
The procedure was almost pain free. The drawing of the blood was actually more painful since the assistant could not get the blood vessel. The doctor – Kenneth Mautner at Emory Orthopedics used the ultrasound guidance and mixed the plasma with the anesthesia prior to the injection, so there was no separate anesthesia.
Now I’m doing PT and some exercises at home. So far though, I don’t have any significant relief. I hope it will come eventually, but for some reason, I don’t have too much hope. So this is pretty much it, if you have any questions, shoot.
To Eric: I haven’t done the Prolotherapy.
Theo: thanks for the update. I just re-read the post I wrote about an update on my elbow one month after PRP treatment, where I noted that my elbow was feeling like it felt before treatment (though not as bad as during the first few weeks after treatment). It also appears that I was not following the doctor’s instructions for optimal rehabilitation at that time.
I also re-read some potentially helpful – and hopeful – insights shared by Dr. Mishra at that time:
So I hope that your recovery trajectory is similar to mine, i.e., little/no improvement at the one month mark followed by gradual improvement thereafter, and eventually (possibly as long as a few years) resulting in full recovery and no pain.
A very helpful article indeed! Nice work Joe!
Hope that elbow is coming along and hope you’ll be back on your way to recovery.
That exercise is actually going to help you rehabilitate your elbow muscles, yes indeed!
Joe,
I find this article very helpful in my similar experience. I have had tendinitis (Lateral Epicondylitis) for over 15 years. During this time, I have resorted to therapy, NSAID pain relief, and one cortisone shot. I have been experiencing a serious flare up that has lasted for about a year now. I aggravate my condition with computer work, and also years of cake baking/decorating and calligraphy. I went to one orthopedic who did an MRI and found a couple of tears in the ligament/tendons in my elbow and wanted to do surgery right away. After a second opinion with another orthopedic surgeon, he sent me for 4 weeks of therapy to see if there is any improvement, at this time I am in week 3 and the pain and restricted movement shows little change. I am still only at about 48psi of grip strength. He wants to try the PRP therapy but I am a bit anxious about the cost and the “iffy” result prognosis… My only other option is surgery to repair the tears, which will leave me somewhat incapacitated for several weeks. But the more I read about PRP therapy, it seems I will still be on restricted use, and there’s really no promise that it will make me feel any better… After fighting this pain on and off for 15 years, I wonder if surgery at this point would be a better option???
Thank you again for sharing your experience!
@S Dingley: I, too, was initially concerned about the financial costs of the treatment, but I’m not aware of any significant physiological costs or risks associated with the procedure. My understanding was that the worst result – with respect to my elbow (vs. wallet) – was that it might further delay the resolution that might be achievable via surgery.
As I mentioned in at least one of my PRP-related posts, Dr. Mishra considered me a borderline case, and had anticipated that I might eventually need surgery even with the PRP treatment. I’m glad that I tried PRP before trying surgery, as it seems to have done the trick for me.
I cannot predict whether or how it might work for you, but please feel free to review my other posts to see if any of the comments posted by others might further inform your decision. I know that someone once posted a comment to share a diagnostic code that might make PRP treatment eligible for insurance coverage in certain contexts (may vary based on state, insurance company, etc.).
Best wishes with whatever course of treatment you embark on!
Just wondering if anyone has any experience or knows of PRP’s effectiveness on a torn meniscus? I am trying to find alternatives to surgery as I am uninsured and would rather not spend the $20k out of pocket.
Sorry Gil, I have no knowledge or experience regarding PRP and torn meniscus, but perhaps someone else dropping by the blog post will be able to help. Best wishes for an effective solution!
Hi, just wanted to say thanks for your series of posts on PRP, it was good to get the status updates. I just had PRP performed on my elbow yesterday, after suffering for about 18 months with lateral epicondylitis (w/minor partial tear at ECRB origin). So far, so good. I have a fair amount of pain at the injection site but that’s abating pretty quickly (less than 24 hours).
CycleMan: I’m glad the posts on PRP have been useful, and hope your own treatment is similarly successful.
Hello everyone, I just wanted to post an update from my PRP treatment a little over a year ago: I am still pain free and doing fantastic. I live in Bismarck, ND in a flood zone for 3 months now and my elbow has had a serious workout, building a sandbag dike and now removing the dike in the past few weeks, along with cleaning up many large, fallen trees, moving out and back in our house, etc and am happy to report NO flare up of my elbow. Ifthat didn’t cause a flare-up, nothing will! I consider it to be permanently cured and I had problems with tendinitis for about 8 years and had excruciating flares that would last for months. My surgeon does not think much of elbow surgery for this because the outcome is so iffy with surgery as well. Boy am I glad he suggesteed we try PRP first. I would definately try the PRP which is not invasive like surgery, before taking that final step towards surgery. Thanks again Joe for creating this site. I hope others find it as useful as I have.
LaRayne: thanks for the update, and congratulations on the restoration full, pain-free use of your elbow! I hope you are permanently cured.
I had pretty much forgotten about my own elbow, except when people post comments here, for nearly 3 years. I thought mine was permanently cured, too, and had been enjoying a regular exercise routine (elliptical trainer + TotalGym a few times a week). Fortunately, I did not have a natural disaster to contend with!
However, a few weeks ago, I overdid with yardwork [again], using an electric hedge trimmer for too many hours without taking sufficient breaks, and have since been doing lots of digging and other manual labor around the house … and my elbow is feeling sore again. The pain I feel now is nowhere near as bad as before PRP (e.g., I can lift my 20 ounce mug of coffee without any pain, and I am still doing yardwork regularly) … but it does remind me of my very first episode of elbow tendinitis that started after too many hours of raking leaves in the fall of 2004. It may be time to post another update of my post-PRP elbow experience soon.
Has anyone heard of this treatment being used for knees? I had such good success with my elbow, I’m thinking it would help my knees?
I just had PRP today for my shoulder. It was the most excruciating thing I’ve ever been thru&i just had back surgery in March&I have 3 kids. I have a high tolerance for pain&teared up in the office and am in so much pain now, I have to take Lortab to even manage thru it. It hurts so bad to move my arm even slightly. I will never do this treatment again!!
@LaRayne: I recently read an article on Kobe Bryant and other athletes using Regenokine, another prolotherapy procedure. Perhaps something in that article will offer some useful leads.
@Jennifer: reviewing the earlier post I wrote 1 week after my platelet rich plasma injection, it appears I did not experience any significant pain during the injection. There was some pain on the second day, but not at the level you describe. After that second day, the problems were mostly stiffness and limited range of motion rather than pain. I hope your pain has subsided, and if you haven’t done so already, you may want to check back with the doctor who performed the procedure. I hope you eventually enjoy a positive outcome.
I just had a PRP injection Monday Aug 6, 2012. I had to be put to sleep because the needle that has to be use to draw the CC’s of blood needed was too large for my veins when the nurses tried about 8times in two visits. So they put me to sleep. Since Monday things seem to be doing well, I can’t type much, but soon as I’m able to come back and give a report I will. I have lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) on my right elbow. I fell in Nov. 2011, and this may have caused the tear. Thank you I will return in a few days for an update, so far, arm isn’t achey as it was since Monday.
@BBG50: I hope the ultimate outcome is positive, despite the complications you experienced during the injection itself.
I just want to encourage Jennifer. I too had the most excruciating pain during the injection. I was the first patient to have this procedure at the hospital here. Since that time, the hospital has done a handful more of the procedures, some on hospital staff, and they too had excruciating pain, to the point that the new policy at the hospital is to take everyone to the operating room and sedate them. I too, had to take powerful narcotics for about 3 days following the procedure. I spent much of the time in bed, with my elbow elevated. I’ve had about 10 different operations in my lifetime and nothing hurt this much. However, after the first 3-4 days, the pain subsided to the level of just taking ibuprofen. It took me about 6 months to be pain free and see the positive results. I am now 2 years out and have absolutely no pain and have regained full range of motion, which I had lost. Hang in there and I hope with time, you get the results I did. I said I’d never have it done again during those first 2 months. Now, I’d have it done again in a heartbeat. Good luck!