Division 1 Athlete With Chronic Patella Tendonitis Shares PRP Patient Experience

Our patient experiences create true value to other potential PRP treatment patients across the world.  These questions and answers give people a real honest look at how PRP affected and worked / didn’t work for their condition.  Below is a patient experience from a division 1 athlete who treated chronic patella tendonitis with PRP therapy.

What was your injury that was treated with prp?

Chronic patella tendonitis

Did you try any other therapy before you opted for prp treatment?

Yes i went to 3 differnt physical therapists, doing everything from e-stem, ultrasound, hivomat, intense scraping, etc. Hip strengthening, quad and hamstring as well…this went on for a year and half or so.

Why did your physician decide to utilize prp for this injury?

Because this was the last resort before surgery, and I am a D1 athlete in need of something that’ll get read of the pain.

What medical facility did your physician perform this treatment? Hospital? Physician clinic?

Jacksonville Orthopedic Institute

Did your physician have you follow a specific protocol the night before your prp treatment?

Just not to take any ibprofen

Do you remember how much blood was drawn from you?

After they drew the blood, how long did you have to wait before the platelet rich plasma was ready for use on your injury? A small vile, not all that much. I waited maybe 6 minutes.

What did the physician do to prepare the injury site for injection?

Marked the most painful spot and Cleaned the area with iodine.

Did the physician use ultrasound as a guide to place the platelet rich plasma?

No

How did the injection feel?

It was pretty painful, felt like someone was pushing n the tendon very, very hard.

And do you remember how long the prp treatment took?

The shot itself the first time took about 45 seconds, the second one was anout 20 seconds.

If you had pain, how long did the pain last?

The intesne pain lasted about 3 minuutes and yes the knee did swell.

How long did the entire visit take?

an hour, my other teammate got one as well

After treatment, did your physician wrap the treatment site?

If not, what did he do post treatment? We wrapped it with an ice bag

What was your physicians post prp treatment protocol for you? Restrictions? Rest? Exercise? Stretching? Pain medication? Any specific directions you had to follow?

Take tylenol, no deep squats or jumping, gradually ease back into lower body exercise over a 3 wk period after our last shot

How much was the prp treatment? Did insurance cover?

3 shots were $750 and No

Did the treatment work for you? If so, when did you start feeling better? How soon could you bet back to playing your sport?

After 5 days I was able to jog a couple steps without pain for the first time in a year! I was extremely excited, so after 2 more shots im hoping my knee will be fully healed!!! And in about 6 weeks i should be ready to play in games!

Other comments or thoughts about your prp experience?

I am SOO SOO happy I was able to get these shots, the fact that I can play volleyball again without any pain in over a year…is going to be one heck of a feeling!

A big thanks to this athlete and others who share their Platelet Rich Plasma experiences with us.  If you would like to share your patient experience – contact us.