The exam shows whether PRP may fit

Medicines and blood problems need review

You can list aspirin, blood thinners and other medicines for the doctor or nurse. Only the doctor who ordered a medicine can tell you to stop it.

An active infection, unusual bleeding or a low platelet count needs medical review. Platelets are small pieces in blood that gather when bleeding starts.

Bring the bottles or a current medicine list if you're unsure. That lets the provider check each name and amount before care begins.

Some warning signs need urgent care

A fever plus marked heat and swelling around a joint calls for urgent care. Spreading redness or drainage after care also needs quick attention.

Prompt care is also needed when a calf swells or strength suddenly fades. Get help if standing isn't possible or a sudden pop causes lost use.

The first visit ends with a clear choice

Movement and earlier tests are checked by a doctor, nurse or other trained medical provider. You can explain which daily task matters most.

Regenerative treatment options at QC Kinetix may include concentrated PRP, the saved platelet-rich layer of the patient's blood. If PRP doesn't fit, the provider can discuss other care.

Plan for a quiet first day and follow the office's activity advice. Don't guess about fever, drainage or a sharp rise in soreness.

Ask who will answer after-care questions and how soon. Keep those instructions where you can find them at home.

Sources

1. The ESSKA-ICRS consensus applied the RAND/UCLA appropriateness method to 216 clinical scenarios for intra-articular PRP in knee OA. Only 84 scenarios (38.9%) were rated appropriate, 9 (4.2%) inappropriate and 123 (56.9%) uncertain. PRP was judged appropriate in patients aged 80 or under with KL grade 0-III osteoarthritis AFTER failed conservative non-injective or injective treatment; it was NOT considered appropriate as a first treatment, nor in KL grade IV (bone-on-bone) osteoarthritis, where 91.7% and 87.5% of scenarios respectively were uncertain.

   Kon E, de Girolamo L, Laver L, et al. — Platelet-rich plasma injections for the management of knee osteoarthritis: The ESSKA-ICRS consensus. Recommendations using the RAND/UCLA appropriateness method for different clinical scenarios. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, 2024. DOI: 10.1002/ksa.12320.

2. The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation convened a technical expert panel that ran a structured literature review (2023, updated through June 2025) and a modified Delphi process, and issued five evidence-based clinical recommendations plus 11 consensus-based best practices for PRP in knee osteoarthritis. The statement is explicit that orthobiologic therapies 'remain an evolving area of practice' and that robust, dose-dependent randomized controlled trials are still needed to establish PRP's clinical effects.

   Borg-Stein J, Jayaram P, Colorado BS, et al. — AAPM&R guidance statement on platelet rich plasma for knee osteoarthritis. PM&R, 2026. DOI: 10.1002/pmrj.70144.

3. A systematic review and meta-analysis of adverse events in randomized trials of intra-articular PRP for knee osteoarthritis found PRP associated with mild, transient adverse events - knee pain and swelling - that typically resolve without intervention, and more frequent with LEUKOCYTE-RICH formulations. Leukocyte-poor PRP had a safety profile similar to hyaluronic acid. Knee stiffness was more frequent with PRP than with normal saline (P=.031). No severe adverse events were reported in any group.

   Nakagawa HF, Kim J, Rabinowitz J, et al. — Assessment of adverse events and safety associated with intra-articular platelet-rich plasma injections compared to other injectates for knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PM&R, 2026. DOI: 10.1002/pmrj.70141.

4. A Bayesian network meta-analysis of nine studies (six RCTs, 1055 patients) found leukocyte-POOR PRP produced significantly better WOMAC scores than hyaluronic acid (mean difference -21.14; 95% CI -39.63 to -2.65) and than placebo (-17.84; 95% CI -34.95 to -0.73), while leukocyte-RICH PRP showed no such significant difference versus placebo. PRP of either type caused more local adverse reactions than hyaluronic acid (OR 5.63; 95% CI 1.38-22.90), almost always local swelling and pain, with no difference in safety between the two PRP types.

   Riboh JC, Saltzman BM, Yanke AB, et al. — Effect of Leukocyte Concentration on the Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2016. DOI: 10.1177/0363546515580787.

5. An earlier meta-analysis of five randomized trials (301 patients) found that at six months, single and multiple PRP injections produced similar pain improvement with no significant difference, while knee function favoured multiple injections. The two meta-analyses together support a modest functional advantage for a course of injections rather than one, without settling the number.

   Vilchez-Cavazos F, Millan-Alanis JM, Blazquez-Saldana J, et al. — Comparison of the Clinical Effectiveness of Single Versus Multiple Injections of Platelet-Rich Plasma in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 2019. DOI: 10.1177/2325967119887116.

6. 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. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 2016. DOI: 10.1136/bmjsem-2015-000060.