OrthoBiologics (PRP): How Your Own Body Can Help Heal Your Hip Pain

Tired of dealing with hip pain? Maybe you notice it most when walking across a parking lot, climbing the stairs, or even getting into bed. Regardless of how hip pain impacts your life, you’re likely on the hunt to find relief from chronic pain.

If medications, rest, or other conservative treatments haven’t provided enough relief, you may assume surgery is your next step. Thankfully, depending on what’s causing your pain, your own blood may contain another tool that can help.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is an orthobiologic treatment available at Garden State Pain & Orthopedics that concentrates platelets from your own blood and delivers them directly to an injured or painful area. These platelets contain growth factors involved in your body’s natural healing processes.

Below, our team of specialists explains what orthobiologics are and how they help with hip pain.

Why does your hip hurt?

Your hip is a ball-and-socket joint built to withstand considerable force, but the cartilage, tendons, and muscles surrounding it can become damaged or irritated by injury, repetitive stress, or even age-related changes.

Common causes of hip pain include:

• Osteoarthritis
• Tendon injuries and tendinopathy
• Bursitis
• Labral injuries
• Muscle and soft tissue injuries
• Sports or overuse injuries

The right treatment depends on what’s actually causing your symptoms, which is why an accurate diagnosis always comes first.

What are orthobiologics?

Orthobiologics are substances derived from biological materials (and sometimes synthetics) that are used to support your body’s natural healing processes to treat musculoskeletal issues. Some orthobiologics come from your own body, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP).

PRP therapy starts with something you already have: your blood.

Your blood contains platelets, which are made inside your bone marrow and are best known for helping your blood clot after an injury. Platelets also contain growth factors and other proteins involved in tissue repair and healing.

PRP therapy concentrates those platelets so we can deliver a higher concentration directly to the area we’re treating.

How does PRP treatment help your body heal your hip pain?

PRP treatment begins with a simple blood draw. We place your blood in a centrifuge, which spins rapidly to separate its components and produce plasma with a high platelet concentration.

Once your PRP serum is prepared, we inject it into the injured area of your hip. The concentrated platelets release growth factors that support your body’s natural healing response and may help reduce inflammation, improve function, and relieve pain over the next few days and weeks.

Because PRP is prepared from your own blood, there’s also little risk of an allergic reaction to the injected material.

What makes PRP different from a steroid injection?

Both treatments involve injections, but they work differently. Corticosteroid injections are designed to decrease inflammation, which can provide relatively fast pain relief. However, that relief may be temporary, and repeated steroid injections aren’t appropriate for every condition.

PRP takes a different approach. Instead of relying on medication to suppress inflammation, it uses concentrated components of your own blood to support your body’s healing process.

That said, PRP isn’t an instant fix. Your body’s response takes time, so improvement (both pain relief and functionality) may develop gradually over the next weeks and months.

Can PRP help hip arthritis?

This is a common question we hear because hip arthritis is one of the most common forms of osteoarthritis; it affects up to 25% of people older than 55.  

Hip osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage cushioning your joint deteriorates. This can lead to inflammation, stiffness, and pain, and for some people, yes, PRP therapy can help. 

PRP can’t regrow an entirely worn-away joint or cure arthritis, but it may help some people experience less pain and better function.

That can make everyday activities, from walking and climbing stairs to exercising, more comfortable.

PRP may be particularly beneficial if conservative treatments aren’t providing enough relief, but you’re hoping to delay or avoid more invasive treatment.

Is PRP right for your hip pain?

Not every painful hip needs PRP, and not every hip condition responds to it. That’s why your treatment at Garden State Pain & Orthopedics starts with determining exactly what’s causing your symptoms. 

During your comprehensive exam, we review your medical history, examine your hip, and may use imaging to evaluate your hip joint and surrounding tissues.

If PRP is appropriate, we explain what you can realistically expect from treatment, including how many injections may be recommended and how PRP can fit alongside physical therapy, exercise, medications, or other treatments.

If another approach is more likely to help, we recommend that instead.

Put your body’s healing abilities to work

Call our office in Edison, Clifton, Hazlet, Jersey City, and West Orange, New Jersey, or request an appointment online today to find out whether PRP could be right for your hip pain.