Platelet Rich Plasma for Musculoskeletal Conditions (PRP for MSK)

May 5, 2026 updated by: Daniel Cushman, University of Utah

The primary purpose of this study is to follow patients with various musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions over a one-year follow-up period after receiving a platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection, assessing changes in their pain levels, functional abilities, and overall patient satisfaction.

This will develop a robust registry of patients treated with PRP for a range of MSK conditions. These conditions include, but are not limited to, osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, hip, glenohumeral joint, elbow, ankle, and sacroiliac joint, as well as rotator cuff tendinopathy, lateral and medial epicondylitis, plantar fasciitis, patellar tendinopathy, Achilles tendinopathy, and proximal hamstring tendinopathy.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is an injectable preparation of a patient's blood that can be used for numerous conditions and has received significant attention over the past several years for its potential application for the treatment of pain and functional impairment due to osteoarthritis (OA) and other musculoskeletal conditions. Research on PRP has expanded dramatically over the last several decades, elevating its status from snake oil to a proven injection option superior to corticosteroids. It has demonstrated superior efficacy to standard-of-care corticosteroids in numerous musculoskeletal conditions. Systematic reviews of randomized-controlled trials have demonstrated equivalent-to-superior treatment outcomes associated with the use of intra-articular PRP compared to placebo, hyaluronic acid, and corticosteroid for the most commonly-studied condition, knee OA. Most importantly, just as corticosteroids have been used in numerous musculoskeletal conditions (OA, tendinopathy, bursitis, etc.), PRP has the same potential, but with vastly reduced risk; corticosteroids have many known dangers. To summarize, PRP has demonstrated level 1 evidence of superiority to corticosteroids in pain and function in numerous musculoskeletal conditions, with considerably less risk.

This study will evaluate pain, function, and overall patient satisfaction outcomes for the use of PRP for the treatment of a diverse MSK conditions, including, but not limited to, OA of the knee, hip, glenohumeral joint, elbow, ankle, and sacroiliac joint, as well as rotator cuff tendinopathy, lateral and medial epicondylitis, plantar fasciitis, patellar tendinopathy, Achilles tendinopathy, and proximal hamstring tendinopathy.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

10000

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Utah
      • Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84111-1334
        • Recruiting
        • University of Utah Orthoaedic Center
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Daniel Cushman, MD
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18+ years old
  • Musculoskeletal pathology that may benefit from a PRP injection
  • Failed other conservative treatments

Exclusion Criteria:

  • No active malignancy
  • No active infection in the area of injection
  • No platelet disorder
  • No active systemic infections
  • No patients currently undergoing dialysis

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Platelet Rich Plasma Injection
Participants who are eligible and provide consent to participate will undergo a Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injection. Their whole blood and the produced PRP will be analyzed using a cell counter, and they will be asked to complete follow-up surveys at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months..
Biological: Platelet Rich Plasma Injection
Participants who are eligible and provide consent to participate will undergo a Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injection. Their blood will be analyzed using a cell counter, and they will be asked to complete follow-up surveys at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months.
Device: Platelet Rich Plasma Preparation
The patient's blood is collected into syringes. That blood is spun in a centrifuge at high speeds, which separates their blood into layers (red blood cells, white blood cells, and plasma). The plasma portion, which contains the platelets, is transferred to a different syringe for later injection. In some cases, the plasma is spun in the centrifuge again (a "double spin" technique) to further concentrate the platelets in the plasma. The patient's blood is not exposed to air, and it is transferred by tubing between syringes with a Luer Lock connection.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Visual analog score (pain)
Time Frame: 6 months
The VAS is a 0 to 10 scale, with zero being no pain and ten being the worst pain imaginable for their condition
6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Visual Analog Score (pain)
Time Frame: 1, 3, and 12 months
The VAS is a 0 to 10 scale, with zero being no pain and ten being the worst pain imaginable for their condition
1, 3, and 12 months
Global satisfaction
Time Frame: 1, 3, 6, 12 months
From a scale of 0 to 100, the subject assesses their total satisfaction with the affected body part. Zero is no satisfaction, while 100 is complete satisfaction.
1, 3, 6, 12 months
Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (knee)
Time Frame: 1, 3, 6, 12 months

The WOMAC is a self-administered questionnaire used to evaluate pain, stiffness, and physical function in people with hip and knee osteoarthritis. Only for patients with knee OA.

WOMAC scoring involves summing the scores from its three subscales: pain (5 items), stiffness (2 items), and physical function (17 items). Each subscale has a maximum score (Pain: 20, Stiffness: 8, Physical Function: 68), and a total WOMAC score is calculated by adding these three sub-scores together, for a possible total range of 0-96. Higher scores indicate worse symptoms and function.
1, 3, 6, 12 months
Disorders of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (QuickDASH)
Time Frame: 1, 3, 6, 12 months

The QuickDASH an 11-item patient-reported questionnaire used to measure physical function and symptoms in people with musculoskeletal disorders of the upper limb (arm, shoulder, and hand).

To score the QuickDASH, the first sum is the scores from the 11 items, each rated on a 1-5 Likert scale.

The sum is then used in the formula: QuickDASH Score = ([(sum of n responses)/n]-1)*25), where (n) is the number of completed items. A minimum of 10 out of 11 items must be completed to calculate a score, and the final score ranges from 0 (no disability) to 100 (most severe disability).
1, 3, 6, 12 months
International Hip Outcome Tool 12 (IHOT12)
Time Frame: 1, 3, 6, 12 months
This is a 12-item patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) used to assess the health-related quality of life in young, active patients with hip problems. Each question is scored from 0 (worst symptoms/function) to 100 (best symptoms/function). The scores are averaged from all questions, and the final score ranges from 0 (worst symptoms/function) to 100 (best symptoms/function).
1, 3, 6, 12 months
Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS)
Time Frame: 1, 3, 6, 12 months
The FAOS is a patient-reported questionnaire that measures a person's foot and ankle symptoms and functional status. It is divided into five subscales: pain, other symptoms, function in daily living, function in sports and recreation, and quality of life. Scores for each subscale range from 0 to 100, where 100 represents no symptoms and 0 indicates the worst possible symptoms.
1, 3, 6, 12 months
EQ-5D
Time Frame: 1, 3, 6, 12 months

The EQ-5D is a self-report questionnaire that measures health-related quality of life across five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. It consists of two parts of the EURO-QOL.

The first is an index score, calculated from a 5-digit health state code that corresponds to a person's self-reported level of problems in five dimensions (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression). It is calculated by applying a formula to the 5-digit descriptive system code (e.g., 11111 for no problems). This formula uses "social preference weights" for each level in each dimension. A score of 1 represents perfect health, while 0 represents death. Negative scores are possible for health states considered "worse than dead".

The second is an EQ-VAS score, a direct self-assessment on a visual analog scale from 0 (worst imaginable health) to 100 (best imaginable health).
1, 3, 6, 12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Utah

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

December 29, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2035

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2035

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 13, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 13, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

November 17, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 5, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 00191115

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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