PRP uses your own concentrated blood platelets to stimulate the body's natural healing response in damaged tendons and soft tissue. For patients who want every non-surgical option exhausted before considering an operation, PRP is a meaningful tool — offered in-office at Dr. Graham's Jacksonville Beach practice.
PRP is not a guaranteed cure and is not appropriate for every patient or every condition. Dr. Graham will assess candidacy at your consultation.
Understanding PRP
Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, is a concentration of your own blood platelets — the cells responsible for clotting and initiating tissue repair. Under normal circumstances, when a tendon or ligament is injured, platelets rush to the site and release growth factors that signal the body to begin healing. In chronic tendon conditions, that process stalls. The tissue becomes degenerative rather than healing.
PRP works by delivering a concentrated dose of those same growth factors directly into the damaged tissue, effectively restarting the healing cascade that chronic injury has disrupted. The platelet concentration in a PRP preparation is typically several times higher than what circulates in whole blood — giving the body a meaningful push in the right direction.
In Dr. Graham's experience, PRP is most useful for patients with persistent tendinopathy who have tried conservative measures — rest, physical therapy, bracing, anti-inflammatory medications — without achieving satisfactory relief, and who are not yet ready or not appropriate for surgery. It is a bridge, not a replacement for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.
Because PRP uses your own blood, there is no risk of rejection or allergic reaction to a foreign substance. The preparation is done in-office on the day of the injection.
A small amount of blood is drawn from your arm — similar to a standard lab draw. No IV, no sedation required.
The blood is placed in a centrifuge and spun to separate the platelets from red blood cells. The resulting platelet-rich layer is extracted and prepared for injection.
The PRP formulation — leukocyte-rich or leukocyte-poor — is selected based on the target tissue and condition. Different tissues respond differently to the inflammatory profile of the preparation.
The concentrated platelets are injected directly into the affected tendon, joint, or soft tissue. The entire in-office visit typically takes under an hour.
Activity restrictions apply after injection. Dr. Graham follows your progress and adjusts the plan based on your response — including whether additional injections are warranted.
Understanding Your Options
Two different tools for two different goals. Understanding the distinction helps set the right expectations.
Conditions Treated with PRP
PRP is offered for a broad range of upper extremity conditions at Dr. Graham's Jacksonville Beach practice — from common tendinopathy to ligament tears, arthritis, and scars. Candidacy is always determined at your consultation.
What to Expect
The number of injections varies by condition and individual response. What is consistent is what you need to do before and after to give PRP the best chance of working.
Ibuprofen, naproxen, Advil, Aleve, and Motrin must be stopped at least 1–2 weeks before your injection. NSAIDs blunt the inflammatory response that PRP relies on. Tylenol is acceptable.
Blood is drawn, processed, and injected in the same visit. Plan for approximately one hour total. You may drive yourself home in most cases. Eat normally beforehand.
Activity restrictions apply — Dr. Graham will specify what is and isn't allowed based on the injection site. Continue to avoid NSAIDs. Some soreness at the injection site in the first few days is normal and expected.
Most patients begin noticing improvement between 4 and 8 weeks. Dr. Graham will see you for follow-up to assess response and determine whether additional injections are needed.
Avoid all NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin in anti-inflammatory doses) for at least 1–2 weeks before and after injection. These medications suppress the very inflammatory response that PRP is designed to harness. Taking NSAIDs around the time of your injection may significantly reduce its effectiveness. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is safe to use.
If you have received a cortisone injection in the same area, you must wait at least 4 to 6 weeks before PRP can be administered. Corticosteroids interfere with the biological signaling that PRP depends on. Proceeding too soon after cortisone reduces the likelihood of a meaningful response. Please disclose any recent injections when you call to schedule.
Is PRP Right for You?
Dr. Graham offers PRP because he believes patients deserve every reasonable non-surgical option before a conversation about the operating room. But he also believes in being honest about what PRP can and cannot do.
PRP is not a guaranteed cure. It works best for chronic tendinopathy in motivated patients who are willing to follow the protocol — particularly the NSAID restriction and activity guidelines — and who understand that results build over weeks, not days.
PRP tends to be a good fit when:
PRP is generally not the right choice when:
In my experience, the patients who do best with PRP are the ones who come in with realistic expectations and a genuine commitment to the protocol. PRP is not a shortcut — it asks something of you in return. You have to be willing to stop your anti-inflammatories, follow the activity restrictions, and give the process the time it needs to work.
When that partnership is in place, I have seen PRP provide meaningful, durable relief for tennis elbow, rotator cuff tendinopathy, De Quervain's, and partial ligament injuries in patients who had otherwise run out of non-surgical roads. For the right patient, it is a genuinely useful tool.
I want to be transparent about something: I typically do not bring up PRP unless a patient asks me about it directly. That is not because I don't believe in it — I do. It is because recommending a cash-pay service that insurance doesn't cover is not something I am comfortable doing unprompted. It is not my style, and it is not how I want to practice medicine. If you are interested in PRP — whether as a standalone injection or as an adjunct to a planned surgery — please ask me. I will give you an honest assessment of whether it makes sense for your specific situation, and I will never push it on someone who didn't come looking for it.
If you're not sure whether you're a candidate, the best thing to do is call and come in for a consultation. We will look at your imaging, review what you've already tried, and give you a straight answer.
"Dr. Graham is an incredibly knowledgeable and skilled surgeon who genuinely cares about his patients. He took the time to go through every option with me and never once made me feel like surgery was the only path. I felt like I was in the right hands from the very first visit."
Common Questions
Answers to what patients most commonly ask before scheduling a PRP consultation.