No cartilage left in knees

I am very curious about PRP. I just had a hyaluranic acid injection in my knee for lack of cartilage. I am trying to put off tkr on this knee. Can you write about your results. Thanks

Much less pain and no grinding when combined with physical therapy. For me relief has only lasted 5 months but I intend to get it done again in November. Prp is not covered by insurance and my doctor charges $950 per shot. I hope that helps.

Thank you. I don't suppose the positive results are cumulative

I have only had it done once so far.

Hi Ann,

Thanks for your reply. I got both knees replaced in 2022. Before the surgery, I worked with a trainer very knowledgeable in kinesiology and he helped me get the muscles supporting my knee in better shape. I also researched and found an excellent surgeon who used the Stryker/Mako robotic assistant.

And then I did the rehab exercises obsessively for the first 2 months post-op. By three months, I was pain free and doing anything I wanted in the gym - with the exception of 1) impact exercises, and 2) the leg extension machine (this machine provides no functional benefit and puts undue stress on the patella and the patellar channel).

Joe

I will testify that PRP is great for some like my son, who damaged his knee when he fell ,and not so great for others like me who is over 75 and has osteoarthritis. I also have had cortisone which worked for about 3 or 4 months and 5 injections of hyaluronic acid which did little or nothing. I have had "Soft Wave" and other non invasive frequency therapies. I still walk like a duck and rely upon my biceps to carry my weight when doing stairs with a railing. Will I have surgery? No. I have seen others who have had knee surgery still complaining that their legs are not in great shape. Pain is something I am living with but so far I am refusing to stop trying to do many of the things I like to do. I feel very limited though-not a good thing at all.

i am in the same boat. Had TNR 11 years ago. Still painful. Surgeon says its phantom pain. Yea, right. The other knee i do PRP every year. Yes, its expensive. As i am in my 80's i get the full dose and i can still bike, play golf and garden. I can get on that knee to garden. What PRP does is goes after the arthritis. It also grows hair for women. It works for me. I would rather pay the out of pocket than go thru the 3 month painful rehab that i had with TKR. I wish i had a do over on that knee.

I'm an 85-year young senior with bad knees. I should have had them replaced years ago, but did not due to conflicting stories from TNR recipients about the success of the procedure. Is PRP a better option or should I elect to use cortisone injection procedures?

Cortisone will likely damage whatever you have left of cartilage. PRP should help somewhat if not completely as it depends upon the issues involved. I think it took away about 20% of my pain which is better than nothing. Unhappy about Medicare not wanting to go with this as a relatively inexpensive way to fix the problem. Surgery and rehab is much more expensive.

Phantom pain? What a joke. The joke is on the sufferer though isn't it as the surgeon who told you about phantom pain is living the high life as he still gets paid for a poor outcome.