By Vora Pain Medicine Team
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy has become a well-known option in regenerative medicine, but patients often ask how it actually compares to more traditional treatments like corticosteroid injections. The honest answer is: they work differently, and the right choice depends on the specific condition being treated.
Traditional corticosteroid injections work primarily by reducing inflammation — they can provide meaningful, sometimes fast, relief, but that relief is generally temporary and the injections don't address underlying tissue damage.
PRP takes a different approach. It concentrates healing growth factors from a small sample of your own blood and delivers them to the injured area, aiming to support the body's own repair process rather than simply reducing inflammation. Because it works with your body's healing response, results tend to build gradually over weeks rather than provide immediate relief.
Neither approach is universally 'better' — they're suited to different situations, and some patients benefit from a combination approach over time. This is exactly the kind of decision that should be made together with your provider, based on your specific diagnosis, prior treatment history, and goals.