Tired of Nursing Your Tendonitis Injury? Accelerate Healing Naturally with PRP Therapy

Tendonitis and other tendon injuries are among the most common causes of chronic pain in athletes and active adults. Because tendons have a limited blood supply, healing can be slow, causing symptoms to persist for months without appropriate treatment. The severity can range from mild to severe, but recovery is often long and challenging. 

Because slow-healing tendinopathy often prevents athletes and other active individuals from participating in their favorite pursuits, many turn to platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy to heal more quickly. But is PRP effective, and how does it work?

Dr. Ramin Ganjianpour at North Valley Orthopedic Institute in Mission Hills and Tarzana, California, uses PRP therapy to treat tendon injuries and improve recovery. Read on to learn how it works and whether it’s right for you.

What’s PRP therapy?

PRP therapy is a type of regenerative medicine that uses your blood to stimulate tissue repair and reduce inflammation.

The components of your blood include plasma, white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Platelets help with clotting to prevent excessive bleeding when an injury breaks the skin. They also have growth factors that promote tissue regeneration and reduce inflammation.

When Dr. Ganjianpour injects a platelet-rich solution in and around an injured tendon or multiple tendons, it helps ease pain and encourages recovery.

How PRP helps with tendonitis

Tendonitis is tendon inflammation caused by repetitive strain or everyday wear-and-tear. It affects people of all ages and backgrounds but is particularly common in athletes, such as golfers, swimmers, and tennis players. 

Often, people with tendonitis use ice and heat therapy and over-the-counter pain medication to manage symptoms, but severe tendonitis doesn’t always respond. Many spend months or even years nursing the injury but only succeed in masking symptoms for short periods.

PRP therapy may help stimulate the body's natural healing response by delivering a concentrated source of growth factors directly to the injured tendon. This process may support tissue repair, improve blood flow to the area, and reduce chronic inflammation that contributes to ongoing pain. Once injected, PRP increases circulation to the treatment site, reduces inflammation, and encourages the growth of healthy new cells and tissue.

We regularly use PRP therapy to treat common tendon issues, including tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, runner’s knee, Achilles tendonitis, and rotator cuff injuries. These injuries often develop from repetitive stress and may become chronic when the tendon cannot heal properly. If symptoms continue despite rest, physical therapy, activity modification, or anti-inflammatory medication, PRP therapy may be worth discussing during an orthopedic evaluation.

While every patient heals differently, many people begin noticing gradual improvement over several weeks as the tendon responds to treatment. PRP therapy is often combined with physical therapy and activity modification to help achieve the best possible results.

Benefits of PRP therapy

PRP therapy offers several benefits compared to traditional tendonitis treatments. For example, it’s:

• Minimally invasive
• Less risky than surgery, and may even help you avoid or delay surgery
• Natural and drug-free
• Quick, typically completed in 30 minutes or less

Since PRP uses your blood, there’s little risk of infection, and it’s backed by science. One study concluded that PRP injections improved tendon healing and reduced pain. 

Is PRP right for you?

The best way to determine if you’re a good candidate for PRP therapy is a consultation with Dr. Ganjianpour. After discussing your symptoms, performing an exam, and completing diagnostic imaging, he can make personalized treatment recommendations. 

That said, you’re likely a candidate if you have chronic or recurring tendonitis that doesn’t improve with conservative care.

If you suffer a more serious injury, such as a complete tendon tear or advanced degeneration, surgery may be a better option.

Contact us if you’re interested in PRP therapy

Persistent tendon pain shouldn't keep you from exercising, working, or enjoying your favorite activities. Early treatment may help reduce pain, support healing, and prevent long-term tendon damage. PRP therapy can treat the injury at its source and accelerate healing so you can get off the sidelines sooner.

Call North Valley Orthopedic Institute today or request an appointment online.