PRP Injections · Knee Osteoarthritis · Glastonbury, CT
Paul Tortland, DO · orthopedic Sports Medicine & Orthobiologics, Glastonbury, CT · Serving Connecticut & New England
Dr. Tortland sees patients at his Glastonbury office for evaluation of knee arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions. Patients commonly travel from Hartford, West Hartford, Farmington, Simsbury, South Windsor, and other Connecticut communities for physician-performed, ultrasound-guided PRP evaluation and treatment when appropriate.
What You Need To Know
● PRP injections for knee arthritis use concentrated platelets from a patient's own blood to calm joint inflammation and ease pain in mild to moderate osteoarthritis.
● Research suggests roughly 60 to 70 percent of well-selected patients get meaningful relief lasting 6 to 12 months, often longer than a typical cortisone shot.
● PRP does not regrow cartilage or reverse arthritis, and results in advanced, bone-on-bone knees are far less reliable.
● The strongest candidates have early to moderate knee arthritis and want to delay or avoid surgery; an evaluation with imaging is the right first step.
PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma: your own blood, spun in a centrifuge so the platelets are concentrated, then injected into the knee joint. Platelets are best known for clotting, but they also carry growth factors — proteins that signal tissue to heal and inflammation to settle down.
The visit itself is simple. A small tube of blood is drawn from the arm, spun for a few minutes, and the platelet-rich layer is injected into the knee, often with ultrasound guidance so the needle lands exactly where it should. The whole process takes well under an hour, and most people return to normal daily activity within a day or two.
Osteoarthritis is a wearing down of the smooth cartilage that caps the ends of the bones. The goal of PRP is not to grow that cartilage back — it's to change the chemistry inside the joint: less inflammation, less pain signaling, and a calmer environment for the cartilage that remains. Think of it as a symptom treatment with a longer runway than cortisone, not a repair job.
Yes, PRP injections can help many people with mild to moderate knee arthritis, and the relief often lasts 6 to 12 months in patients who respond. Research suggests roughly 60 to 70 percent of carefully chosen patients get at least a meaningful improvement in pain and function over that window.
Notice the qualifiers: mild to moderate arthritis, carefully chosen patients. Patients who do best with non-surgical care tend to share a pattern — arthritis on X-ray but still some joint space left, active and motivated, working on strength and weight alongside any injection. PRP can buy that patient real time.
A bone-on-bone knee is a different story. Once the cartilage is gone, no injection restores it, and the research on PRP in severe arthritis is much weaker — that's worth hearing plainly rather than starting an expensive series of shots that disappoint.
The research on PRP injections is genuinely mixed, and any provider who claims otherwise is simplifying. Meta-analyses pooling many trials together found PRP eased pain and improved function better than hyaluronic acid gel shots and better than placebo saline — with the edge clearest past the three-month mark.
Compared with cortisone, the pattern flips over time. Steroid shots often work faster in the first 4 to 6 weeks, while PRP tends to pull ahead at 3 to 6 months and can hold its benefit longer. At the same time, smaller studies found little or no lasting benefit, with scores drifting back to baseline within weeks of the final shot.
PRP study results disagree mostly because PRP itself is not one product. Platelet concentration, white blood cell content, activation method, and injection schedules all vary between studies, so pooling them is messy. Patient selection matters just as much — trials heavy with severe, bone-on-bone arthritis show weaker results than trials of earlier disease, which mirrors exactly what's seen in clinical practice.
High-concentration PRP works by calming joint inflammation and supporting the knee's own healing response, with benefit typically lasting 6 to 12 months in appropriately selected patients. Corticosteroid injections suppress inflammation more quickly but the relief is usually shorter, lasting weeks to a few months, and repeated steroid use can weaken cartilage over time. Hyaluronic acid supplements joint lubrication with a similar short-term benefit to PRP, but is generally less durable at the 12-month mark in head-to-head studies. Joint replacement surgery remains the most reliable option for severe, end-stage bone-on-bone arthritis, where no injection — PRP included — is likely to provide lasting relief.
PRP is a low-risk procedure because it uses a patient's own blood, so allergic reactions are very unlikely. The most common side effects are soreness, stiffness, and mild swelling at the injection site for a day or two. Rare risks include infection, bleeding, and nerve irritation — the same short list that applies to any joint injection.
One practical note: PRP is FDA-cleared to prepare but not FDA-approved as a treatment for arthritis, which is a big part of why most insurance plans do not pay for it. Anti-inflammatory medicines like ibuprofen are usually paused around the injection, since they can blunt platelet function and may reduce the benefit.
Start with an accurate picture of the knee, not a product. A standing X-ray, a proper exam, and a conversation about goals will show the right path — that might be PRP injections, another non-surgical option, or a surgical discussion. Dr. Tortland sees patients from Glastonbury and across Connecticut and New England at the practice's Glastonbury office.
Office: 59 Sycamore St, Suite 301, Glastonbury, CT 06033 · Phone: (860) 430-2821 · Care focus: Ultrasound-guided evaluation and individualized non-surgical options for mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis
PRP (platelet-rich plasma) is a treatment made from a patient's own blood, concentrated to increase platelet content, then injected into the knee under ultrasound guidance. Platelets carry growth factors that help calm joint inflammation and support the body's own healing response, easing pain and improving function in mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis.
Improvement is usually gradual rather than immediate, building over several weeks as the growth factors calm inflammation in the joint. Most patients who respond notice meaningful change within 4 to 8 weeks, with continued improvement for up to a few months.
Yes. Mild soreness, stiffness, or swelling for one to three days after a PRP injection is normal and expected, since the injection triggers a brief inflammatory response. Ice and rest usually manage it. Severe pain, spreading redness, fever, or drainage is not normal and should prompt a same-day call to the office.
No study has definitively shown that PRP regrows cartilage in an arthritic knee. Research supports PRP as a way to reduce pain and inflammation and improve function, not as a way to reverse osteoarthritis. Claims that PRP rebuilds cartilage go beyond current evidence, so it's worth treating those claims skeptically.
Knee replacement becomes the better conversation when arthritis is severe or bone-on-bone, pain disrupts sleep and daily life, and injections or therapy no longer provide lasting relief. PRP works best in earlier arthritis. An orthopedic evaluation can review X-rays and symptoms to determine which option fits a specific knee.
Most insurance plans, including Medicare, do not cover PRP injections for knee arthritis because the treatment is not FDA-approved for that use. Patients typically pay out of pocket, commonly several hundred to a couple thousand dollars per injection depending on the clinic and the number of injections in a series.
The knee is numbed with local anesthetic before the injection, so most patients feel pressure rather than sharp pain during the procedure itself. Mild soreness, stiffness, or swelling for one to three days afterward is normal and expected.
Connecticut patients with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis who want to explore non-surgical options before or instead of surgery, and who have not had adequate relief from conservative measures, are reasonable candidates for a PRP evaluation. Dr. Tortland sees patients at his Glastonbury office from across Hartford County and Connecticut.
Many patients start with a single injection and are reassessed before deciding whether a repeat treatment is worthwhile. Some protocols use a short series of two to three injections spaced weeks apart; the right approach depends on the individual knee and how it responds.
PRP is low-risk because it uses a patient's own blood, so allergic reactions are very unlikely. The most common side effects are soreness, stiffness, and mild swelling at the injection site for a day or two. Rare risks include infection, bleeding, and nerve irritation, the same short list that applies to any joint injection.
For appropriately selected patients with moderate arthritis, PRP and other orthobiologic treatments may meaningfully delay the need for joint replacement, buying years of more comfortable, active function. This isn't guaranteed, and it isn't the same as a head-to-head trial against surgery itself, but it's a real, evidence-supported possibility worth discussing.
Candidacy depends on an accurate diagnosis, not a phone conversation: a standing X-ray or imaging review, a physical exam, and a discussion of your goals. Patients with mild to moderate arthritis and remaining joint space are generally the best candidates, while severe, bone-on-bone arthritis is less likely to respond well.
Dr. Tortland was the first physician in New England to perform PRP and has treated knee arthritis with orthobiologics since 2007. He was also the first physician in the world certified in regenerative medicine. Every injection is placed by him personally under live ultrasound guidance, and PRP is custom-formulated on-site to a measured concentration rather than a standard bedside kit.
Medical disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always talk with a qualified orthopedic provider about your specific condition before making treatment decisions. Individual results vary.
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**Medical Disclaimer:** Information on this page is provided for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, guarantee a particular outcome, or establish a physician-patient relationship. Treatment suitability and expected results vary by patient and depend on individual clinical circumstances and the available scientific evidence. The inclusion of a procedure, treatment, or therapy on this website does not mean that it is appropriate for every patient, effective for every condition, superior to other treatment options, or guaranteed to produce a particular result. Orthobiologic procedures discussed on this website are medical procedures performed under the practice of medicine. The FDA regulatory status of any particular product, device, or use may vary, and FDA approval or clearance should not be inferred unless specifically stated. Dr. Tortland reports no financial interest in the products or devices described on this page. Individual results vary, and treatment decisions require an appropriate clinical evaluation, including an in-person examination when indicated.
Candidacy is determined on ultrasound, not over the phone. Bring your imaging and get an honest answer in one visit.