Sports injuries and chronic joint pain are two of the most frustrating health challenges an active person can face. They limit performance, disrupt training, and — when managed only with painkillers and rest — have a frustrating tendency to recur.
PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) therapy is changing that picture. Used by professional athletes from elite football clubs to Olympic teams, PRP has moved from the cutting edge of sports medicine to an increasingly mainstream treatment — one that is now accessible at Neo Clinics in Girona, Spain.
This guide explains what PRP therapy does for sports injuries and joint pain, what the evidence shows, and whether it might be the right option for your specific condition.
Why Sports Injuries Are So Difficult to Heal
Tendons, ligaments, and cartilage have notoriously poor blood supply compared to muscle tissue. This limited vascularisation means that when these structures are injured, the natural healing response is slow, incomplete, and prone to producing scar tissue rather than genuine tissue regeneration. The result is an injury that repeatedly causes problems — partially healing but never fully resolving.
This is the fundamental problem that PRP therapy addresses. By injecting a concentrated dose of the patient’s own growth factors directly into the damaged tissue, PRP essentially amplifies and accelerates the natural healing response — driving the kind of genuine cellular repair that poor blood supply would otherwise prevent.
What Does PRP Do for Sports Injuries?
When PRP is injected into an injured tendon, ligament, muscle, or joint, the concentrated growth factors it contains trigger a coordinated healing cascade:
- **PDGF (Platelet-Derived Growth Factor)** stimulates cell proliferation and the formation of new blood vessels, improving the blood supply to the injured area
- **TGF-β (Transforming Growth Factor-beta)** promotes the synthesis of collagen and extracellular matrix — the structural building blocks of tendons, ligaments, and cartilage
- **VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor)** drives the formation of new blood vessels, further improving the healing environment
- **IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1)** stimulates tissue repair and has anti-inflammatory effects
Together, these growth factors convert a previously chronic, poorly healing injury into an acute healing environment — giving the body what it needs to complete the repair process it was unable to finish on its own.
PRP for Specific Sports Injuries and Conditions
Knee Osteoarthritis
Knee OA is one of the most common and well-studied applications of PRP in sports medicine. Multiple randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews have demonstrated that PRP injections produce superior pain relief and functional improvement compared to corticosteroid injections and hyaluronic acid, with effects that persist for 12 months or longer.
Unlike steroids, which reduce inflammation temporarily but may accelerate cartilage breakdown with repeated use, PRP actually stimulates chondrocyte (cartilage cell) proliferation and reduces the inflammatory environment driving cartilage degradation.
Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow)
Tennis elbow is a chronic tendinopathy affecting the common extensor origin at the lateral elbow — a condition that often proves frustratingly resistant to conventional physiotherapy and steroid injections. PRP has been shown in multiple trials to produce significantly better long-term outcomes than corticosteroid injection, with improvements in pain and grip strength maintained at one and two year follow-up.
Achilles Tendinopathy
Chronic Achilles tendinopathy is a common and debilitating condition in runners and jumping athletes. PRP injections into the affected portion of the tendon, combined with an eccentric loading programme, consistently outperform standard conservative management in reducing pain and improving function.
Patellar Tendinopathy (Jumper’s Knee)
Patellar tendinopathy in athletes involved in jumping sports responds well to PRP, with clinical studies showing superior outcomes compared to dry needling and conservative management alone.
Rotator Cuff Injuries
Partial-thickness rotator cuff tears and chronic rotator cuff tendinopathy respond well to PRP, reducing pain and improving shoulder function and strength. PRP can also be used as an adjunct to rotator cuff surgery to accelerate post-operative healing.
Hamstring and Quadriceps Injuries
High-grade muscle injuries in the hamstring and quadriceps group are common in field sport athletes and can result in prolonged absence from competition. PRP accelerates muscle fibre repair and reduces the risk of recurrent injury, with studies showing faster return to sport compared to conservative management.
Hip Osteoarthritis
Hip OA treated with PRP shows improvements in pain and function comparable to those seen in the knee, with the advantage of longer-lasting effects compared to corticosteroid injection.
PRP vs Cortisone Injections: An Important Comparison
Many athletes and patients are familiar with corticosteroid (cortisone) injections as a treatment for joint pain and tendinopathy. Understanding the key differences helps clarify why PRP is now the preferred option for many conditions:
PRP | Cortisone
|—|—|—|
Mechanism | Promotes tissue repair and regeneration | Reduces inflammation temporarily
Duration of effect | 12+ months (often longer) | Weeks to months
Effect on tissue | Regenerative — improves tissue quality | Can weaken tendons and degrade cartilage with repeat use
Number of injections | 2–3 per course | Often repeated every 3 months
Source | Patient’s own blood — no foreign material | Synthetic steroid
Best for | Chronic tendinopathy, OA, long-term recovery | Acute inflammation requiring rapid short-term relief
The key message: cortisone excels at rapid symptom relief but does nothing to address the underlying tissue pathology and may worsen it over time. PRP takes longer to produce its effects but works by actually repairing the tissue — making it the superior long-term solution for most chronic sports injuries and joint conditions.
What to Expect from PRP Treatment at Neo Clinics
Your first appointment: A thorough clinical assessment of your injury, including a review of any imaging (MRI or ultrasound) where available. We will confirm that PRP is the most appropriate treatment for your specific injury and discuss the expected outcomes.
The treatment: A small blood draw, rapid centrifugation, and injection of the prepared PRP into the target area — the entire process takes around 60–90 minutes. Where precision is important (for example, knee or hip joint injections), we use ultrasound guidance to ensure optimal placement.
After treatment: Mild soreness and swelling at the injection site is normal and expected for 24–72 hours. We advise a period of relative rest from high-impact activity for 1–2 weeks, followed by a graduated return to sport guided by your symptoms and our clinical advice.
Results: Most patients begin to notice meaningful improvements in pain and function 4–8 weeks after their first injection, with continued progress over the following months.
Is PRP Right for Your Injury?
PRP is most appropriate for:
- Chronic tendinopathy that has not fully resolved with physiotherapy
- Mild to moderate osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, or shoulder
- Partial ligament and muscle tears
- Athletes seeking to accelerate return to sport
- Patients wishing to delay or avoid joint replacement surgery
It is less suitable for complete tendon or ligament tears (which typically require surgical repair), severe end-stage arthritis, or acute inflammatory conditions requiring immediate relief.
Your consultation at Neo Clinics will include a thorough assessment to confirm PRP is the right treatment for your specific situation.
📍 Av. de la Platja, 94, Castell-Platja d’Aro, Girona
📞 +34 662 490 672
🌐 neo-clinics.es/en/platelet-rich-plasma-prp/