# What do people ask before choosing PRP made from their blood? *Questions About PRP Injections Mesa Readers Ask* > Plain answers to questions PRP injections Mesa readers ask about soreness, PRP, cost, insurance, treatment visits, and warning signs. These answers cover six questions people often ask before PRP treatment. PRP is made by spinning your blood and keeping the part rich in platelets. The answers cover results, cost, visits, and the two kinds with different white-cell amounts. ## Sources 1. A systematic review of 105 clinical PRP studies in orthopaedics published 2006-2016 found that only 11 (10%) described the preparation protocol clearly enough for another investigator to repeat it, and only 17 (16%) reported any quantitative metric of the final PRP composition. The authors concluded that the current reporting of PRP preparation and composition does not allow the PRP products actually delivered to patients to be compared between studies. Chahla J, Cinque ME, Piuzzi NS, et al. — [A Call for Standardization in Platelet-Rich Plasma Preparation Protocols and Composition Reporting: A Systematic Review of the Clinical Orthopaedic Literature](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29040132/). *Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American)*, 2017. DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.16.01374. 2. The DEPA classification was built because platelet and leukocyte counts alone do not describe an injection. Applied retrospectively to 20 published PRP preparations, the dose of injected platelets ranged from 0.21 billion to 5.43 billion - a 25-fold spread. No device recovered more than 90% of the platelets in the blood drawn, and most preparations were contaminated with red blood cells: only three of the devices reached a purity score corresponding to more than 90% platelets relative to red cells and leukocytes. Magalon J, Chateau AL, Bertrand B, et al. — [DEPA classification: a proposal for standardising PRP use and a retrospective application of available devices](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27900152/). *BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine*, 2016. DOI: 10.1136/bmjsem-2015-000060. 3. In the RESTORE trial - the largest placebo-controlled PRP trial in knee osteoarthritis - 288 adults aged 50+ with symptomatic Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2-3 medial knee OA received three weekly intra-articular injections of leukocyte-poor PRP from a commercial system or saline placebo. At 12 months the mean change in knee pain was -2.1 points with PRP versus -1.8 with saline (difference -0.4; 95% CI -0.9 to 0.2; P=.17) against a minimum clinically important difference of 1.8, and the change in medial tibial cartilage volume was -1.4% versus -1.2% (difference -0.2%; 95% CI -1.9% to 1.5%; P=.81). Twenty-nine of 31 prespecified secondary outcomes showed no significant between-group difference. The authors concluded the findings do not support use of PRP for knee OA. Bennell KL, Paterson KL, Metcalf BR, et al. — [Effect of Intra-articular Platelet-Rich Plasma vs Placebo Injection on Pain and Medial Tibial Cartilage Volume in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: The RESTORE Randomized Clinical Trial](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34812863/). *JAMA*, 2021. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2021.19415. 4. The devices used to spin PRP at the point of care are cleared by FDA as clinical centrifuges, product code JQC, a Class I device under 21 CFR 862.2050 - for example the Biomet GPS Platelet Separation Kit (K030555, cleared 2003) and the Harvest SmartPrep2 / SmartPrep Platelet Concentration System (K103340, cleared 2010). That clearance covers the equipment that separates blood. It is not an FDA approval of platelet-rich plasma as a treatment for osteoarthritis, tendinopathy or any other orthopedic condition, and copy must never blur the two. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Center for Devices and Radiological Health) — [510(k) Premarket Notification database and Product Classification: JQC, Centrifuges (Micro, Ultra, Refrigerated) For Clinical Use, 21 CFR 862.2050](https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfPCD/classification.cfm?ID=JQC). *FDA accessdata (CDRH device databases)*, 2003. 5. Medicare's national coverage policy covers autologous platelet-rich plasma ONLY for patients with chronic non-healing diabetic, pressure and/or venous wounds, and only within an approved coverage-with-evidence-development clinical study. There is no Medicare national coverage for PRP in osteoarthritis or tendinopathy, which is why these injections are billed to the patient as cash-pay. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — [Autologous Platelet-rich Plasma (Coverage with Evidence Development)](https://www.cms.gov/medicare/coverage/evidence/plasma). *CMS.gov*, 2024. ## What is PRP? The letters PRP stand for platelet-rich plasma. Staff draw your blood, spin it, and save the part holding many platelets. That liquid comes only from you and is used for the sore area. ## Does PRP work? Research is mixed across sore areas. Some studies found relief for certain knee and tendon problems, while others found little added benefit. Your exam and the way the blood is prepared both matter. ## What does a PRP injection success rate mean? It depends on what counted as success. Less soreness, easier walking, and avoiding surgery are different results. Ask what the clinic measured and how long after treatment it decided whether the result counted. ## How many PRP injections are needed? There isn’t one schedule for everyone. Some plans use one treatment, while others use more. Ask when your progress will be checked and what would stop the plan early. ## Is leukocyte rich PRP the kind with more white blood cells? Yes. This kind keeps more white blood cells and is linked with more soreness afterward. The kind with most white cells removed is often gentler, though either may cause brief aching or swelling. ## Is PRP covered by insurance? You usually pay for PRP used in a joint or tendon. Medicare covers certain long-lasting wounds only when a person joins an approved study. Check with your plan and the clinic before treatment. ## What if the soreness doesn't settle? At QC Kinetix, medical providers are licensed people responsible for your exam and treatment. They offer regenerative treatments made from your blood and prepared at the clinic. One choice is PRP: staff spin your blood and keep the part rich in platelets. After an exam, the provider can discuss whether that choice fits your soreness. Book a free consultation: --- Plain answers for a sore joint. Find reasons a joint aches, simple steps, urgent symptoms, blood-based PRP, price questions, and the two nearby offices. Clear information about sore joints, PRP choices, and care near Mesa. This site is operated by the owners of the QC Kinetix Phoenix-area clinics, including the Chandler and Scottsdale offices named on these pages. It is a first-party education site, not a review platform and not a survey of the market, and it recommends a clinic we have a direct interest in. Copyright 2026 prpinjectionsmesa.com. Educational content only. Nothing here is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a substitute for assessment by a clinician who can examine you.