Uses your own biology
PRP is autologous — prepared from your own blood at your own visit. There is no synthetic implant and no foreign material, which is why allergic reaction is not a meaningful risk.
Regenerative Medicine
Pain Management & Regenerative Medicine
PRP Therapy (Platelet-Rich Plasma)
PRP concentrates the healing factors already in your own blood and delivers them directly into an injured joint, tendon, or scalp. At Protocol Health every PRP injection is planned and performed by Dr. Richard Dentico, MD, a board-certified physiatrist who trained in regenerative medicine at New Jersey Sports Medicine.
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Pain Management & Regenerative Medicine
What platelet-rich plasma actually is
We draw a small amount of your blood, spin it in a centrifuge to separate out the platelets, and inject that concentrate into the tissue that is not healing. Platelets carry growth factors — the signalling proteins your body already uses to repair itself. The idea is not to add a drug. It is to deliver a much higher concentration of your own repair signals to a place where circulation is poor and healing has stalled. Nothing synthetic is introduced, which is why PRP is used in athletes subject to anti-doping rules.
Why patients choose PRP
A step between injections and surgery
Many patients arrive having been offered cortisone or an operation and wanting something in between. PRP is often that middle option, particularly for tendon problems that have not settled with rest and physical therapy.
It does not weaken tissue the way steroids can
Repeated corticosteroid injections are associated with tendon and cartilage deterioration over time. PRP does not carry that particular tradeoff, which matters when a problem is chronic rather than acute.
Performed by a physiatrist, not a technician
Dr. Dentico is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with a sports medicine subspecialty. Physiatry is the specialty built around non-surgical musculoskeletal medicine, which is exactly what PRP is.
Same-day, in-office, no general anaesthetic
Draw, spin, inject. Most patients are in and out inside an hour and drive themselves home.
An honest read on whether it will help you
PRP is not right for everything or everyone. Part of the value of seeing a physiatrist is being told plainly when a different treatment — or a surgeon — is the better answer.
Who PRP suits
Is PRP right for you?
PRP tends to help most in mild-to-moderate degeneration and in tendons that have failed to heal on their own. It helps least in advanced, bone-on-bone arthritis, where it may reduce pain but cannot rebuild cartilage that is no longer there. We would rather tell you that at the consultation than after you have paid for a course of injections.
- Mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis that has not responded to physical therapy
- Chronic tendon problems — tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, Achilles or patellar tendinopathy
- Rotator cuff and shoulder tendinopathy without a full-thickness tear
- Gluteal tendinopathy and greater trochanteric pain — the most common cause of lateral hip pain
- Plantar fasciitis that has persisted beyond several months
- Early androgenetic hair thinning, in men and women
- Athletes and active adults who want to avoid repeated corticosteroid injections
Where the evidence is strongest
What PRP is actually good for
PRP is studied unevenly across conditions. Below is a fair summary of where the published evidence is strong, where it is promising, and where it is thin. We would rather set expectations correctly than oversell a treatment.
Knee osteoarthritisTennis elbowHair thinningPlantar fasciitisRotator cuff and AchillesWhere evidence is thin
Knee osteoarthritis
The most studied use. Multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses show PRP improving pain and function compared with placebo, with the clearest effects between three and six months. Several head-to-head analyses find leukocyte-poor PRP outperforming both hyaluronic acid and corticosteroid in mild-to-moderate disease. Results at twelve months are less consistent across trials, and PRP does not regrow lost cartilage.
Request A ConsultationGetting the most from treatment
PRP works best as part of a plan
An injection into a tendon that is still being overloaded every day will disappoint. The patients who do best treat PRP as the start of a rehabilitation window, not a substitute for one.
01Loading and rehabilitation
Tendons remodel in response to progressive load. We will tell you what to do in the weeks after the injection and, where useful, coordinate with your physical therapist.
02Anti-inflammatories
NSAIDs blunt the inflammatory signalling PRP relies on. We usually ask patients to stop them for a window before and after treatment, and we will give you specific timing.
03Metabolic health
Healing is systemic. Blood sugar, vitamin D, thyroid function and sleep all affect tissue repair — and are all things this clinic already tests and treats.
04Realistic timelines
PRP is not a cortisone shot. Improvement is typically gradual over weeks, not days, and a series of injections is often planned rather than a single treatment.
What to expect
How a PRP visit works
Straightforward, same-day, and entirely in our Scarsdale office.
01Examination first
Dr. Dentico examines you and reviews any imaging you already have. The point of this step is to identify what is actually generating your pain — the injection is worth nothing if it goes into the wrong structure.
02Blood draw
A small volume of blood is drawn in the office, exactly as it would be for a lab test.
03Preparation
The sample is centrifuged to separate and concentrate the platelet fraction while you wait.
04Injection
The concentrate is injected into the target tissue, using ultrasound guidance where accuracy matters. Local anaesthetic is used for comfort.
05Recovery and follow-up
Expect some soreness for a few days — that inflammatory response is part of the mechanism. We schedule follow-up to assess response and decide whether further injections are worthwhile.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
What is PRP therapy?
Platelet-rich plasma therapy uses a concentrate made from your own blood. We draw a small sample, spin it in a centrifuge to separate the platelet fraction, and inject that concentrate into the tissue that is not healing. Platelets carry growth factors — the signalling proteins your body already uses to repair itself. Nothing synthetic is introduced, which is why PRP is permitted under current anti-doping rules.
What conditions does PRP actually treat?
The strongest evidence is for mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis and for lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow). PRP is also commonly used for rotator cuff and Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, gluteal tendinopathy causing lateral hip pain, and early androgenetic hair thinning. Evidence is thinner for hip joint osteoarthritis and for advanced bone-on-bone arthritis.
Does PRP regrow cartilage?
No. PRP can reduce pain and support the tissue you still have, but it does not rebuild cartilage that is already gone. In advanced, bone-on-bone arthritis a surgical opinion is usually the more useful conversation, and we will tell you that at the consultation rather than after a course of injections.
How many PRP injections will I need?
Usually a series rather than a single treatment. In knee osteoarthritis, published comparisons found triple injections outperforming single injections over twelve months, with three injections the most commonly used protocol. You will be told the expected number before you start.
Does PRP hurt, and what is recovery like?
Local anaesthetic is used during the injection. Expect several days of increased soreness afterwards — that inflammatory response is part of how the treatment works, not a sign it failed. Most patients drive themselves home and return to desk work the same or next day.
Who performs PRP at Protocol Health?
Dr. Richard Dentico, MD, a board-certified physiatrist with a sports medicine subspecialty and more than fifteen years in regenerative medicine. He trained under Drs. Gerard Malanga and Jay Bowen at New Jersey Sports Medicine. Every PRP plan starts with an examination, because the hardest part is identifying what is actually generating your pain.
Is PRP covered by insurance?
Generally not — PRP is typically a self-pay treatment. That is another reason to be certain you are a good candidate before starting, which is what the initial examination is for.
Scarsdale, New York
Talk to a physiatrist about whether PRP fits
Protocol Health is at 700 White Plains Road in Scarsdale — a short drive from Bronxville, White Plains, Eastchester, New Rochelle, Tarrytown and lower Fairfield County. Book a consultation and get a straight answer about whether platelet-rich plasma is the right treatment for your problem, or whether something else is.
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