Hyaluronic Acid

Is Adding HA to PRP for Knee OA Worth the Cost?

One of my jobs at Regenexx is ensuring that our corporate partners spend insurance money wisely on orthobiologics. Basically, the money they’re spending is helping patients avoid more expensive procedures. One of the more popular add-ons to PRP is hyaluronic acid (HA). Is this worth the additional cost? If it makes PRP better, how much…read more

Should We Be Adding HA to PRP? A Literature Review

As CMO of Regenexx, it’s my job to stay up to date on the research behind the latest trends in Orthobiologics research. One of those new things is adding common knee gel shots (HA) to PRP to improve knee arthritis results more than PRP alone. So let’s explore the high-level research supporting this idea and…read more

More Fake PRP Studies

I’ve covered a few different “PRP” studies that didn’t actually use real PRP. However, none were as ridiculous as a study that was recently published in JAMA on knee arthritis. Let’s dig in. When is PRP not PRP? PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma. The idea is supposed to be that PRP concentrates platelets many times…read more

PRP Again Beats Steroid and Hyaluronic Acid Shots

PRP for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis has more evidence to support it than knee replacements, but the old guard is having a tough time accepting this new reality. A recent study in an old guard orthopedic journal could change some minds. Let’s review. Definitions Before I begin, we need to define some things: Corticosteroid…read more

Are The New AAOS Guidelines Science Based?

The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons recently published knee osteoarthritis guidelines that caught my attention. Instead of adding PRP to their knee arthritis treatment guidelines, which would be an evidence-based thing to do in 2021, the AAOS seems to have avoided all evidence and doubled down on the practice of injecting harmful steroids into knees!…read more

Types of Knee Injections For Pain From Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis of the knee is a degenerative joint disease. It causes pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joint. The cartilage in the knee typically acts like a shock absorber, protecting the knee joint. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage breaks down, causing pain and other symptoms. This ongoing, nagging knee pain can make everyday activities difficult. Knee…read more

Can PRP Help Early Hip Arthritis Patients Avoid Surgery?

There’s a new concept that gets introduced with regenerative medicine. That’s the idea that we can reduce degeneration in early arthritis or intervene early in tendon and ligament injuries. We’ve done that for our patients for many years, but we’re now beginning to see the research catch up. This morning I’ll review a new study…read more

Thinking of Knee Gel Injections? Follow These Two Rules to Maximize Outcome

I get asked quite a bit whether knee gel injections will help or harm a planned stem cell procedure. To review, these injections (also sometimes called rooster comb injections since some are derived from rooster combs) go by the brand names SynVisc, Supartz, Hyalgan, OrthoVisc, Euflexxa, Monovisc, Visccure (UK). They are all hyaluronic acid (HA)…read more