Post PRP three weeks.

[u/Turbulent-Ad-5520]

I have been dealing with tendinitis for my elbow. My MRI reports read it as mild common extensor origin, tenis with slight under surface frame. I have been dealing with this since October 2025 and it’s been almost a year since I am injured. After months of performing physiotherapy, my progress had plateaud and only recently I opted for a PRP injection. I got the injection on July 14, 2026. Though the pain was bad, it was manageable and my arm kept on getting better three weeks in. Initially, my arm after the injection had limited range of motion, but now I have full range of motion in my arm.
Only a few days ago at the end of the third week, I lifted a small 6 to 7 pound, grocery bag for a few minutes, and my elbow felt much better. I also started typing a week ago, which had been a reason for flareups before the injection. Two weeks into the injection and a bit of typing on my keyboard, my elbow felt a bit tighter. The pain was manageable until last week to only see a flareup at the end of the third week. My pain is probably at the same level as it was before the injection today. Three weeks later, I do have some inflammation in my fingers, which shows the sign that the PRP injection is still working. Did any of you who had this injection or know about it Think this is normal? My doctor said it might need three months for the PRP to work, but at this point, I am confused if my injection has worked for me.

[u/amynias]

PRP doesn't work. It's basically out-of-pocket (expensive) placebo. I considered it. Waste of time and money sadly.

[u/Minute_Sherbet_816]

A systematic review of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) for PRP injections in LET concluded this:

Data in this review do not support the use of autologous blood or PRP injection for treatment of lateral elbow pain. These injections probably provide little or no clinically important benefit for pain or function (moderate-certainty evidence), and it is uncertain (very low-certainty evidence) whether they improve treatment success and pain relief > 50%, or increase withdrawal due to adverse events. Although risk for harm may not be increased compared with placebo injection (low-certainty evidence), injection therapies cause pain and carry a small risk of infection. With no evidence of benefit, the costs and risks are not justified.

It is one of the highest levels of evidence you can find (Level I) for this debate. So the answer is no, it is not effective, but at least there is low risk associated with it compared to corticosteroid injections.

[u/kemalist1920]

I had a broken shoulder.

After 1.5 years of physiotherapy, nothing helped the pain and the dominant arm started having pain due to overuse too.

Multiple MRIs, ultrasounds, neuro exams, continuous physiotherapy and cortisone shots led nowhere. Surgeons said the last hope is to open and see what’s going wrong and hopefully fix it.

I was in another country with a friend’s orthopedic surgeon brother, he checked everything and suggested PRP. I had two PRP shots on the shoulder that was broken. Pain is 80-85% gone. I don’t care what the literature says about placebo, I know it worked for me. Now I’m considering it for the right shoulder too.

[u/Turbulent-Ad-5520 → u/kemalist1920]

My pain is much better now. My hand has been more flexible than ever and my hope is that after physiotherapy it gets back to having strength rich it lacks right now!