The orthobiologic procedures we offer
PRP, PPP, BMAC and A2M, described as what they are and how they are performed — not as what anyone promises they will do. Read the disclosure on this page before you read anything else about them.
PRP, PPP, BMAC, and A2M are autologous procedures prepared from your own blood or bone marrow. They are considered investigational and are not FDA-approved for the treatment of any specific orthopedic condition, including osteoarthritis. Individual results are not guaranteed. Any decision to pursue an orthobiologic procedure should be made with your provider after a clinical evaluation.
What we can and cannot tell you
We can tell you exactly what these procedures are, what happens during them, who performs them and what they cost. We can tell you that the material is your own, which is why the risk of allergic reaction or rejection is minimal.
What we cannot tell you — and what you should be skeptical of anywhere you see it — is that an orthobiologic procedure treats, heals, repairs or regenerates cartilage, a meniscus, a ligament or arthritis, or that it will let you avoid a knee replacement. Those are claims the evidence does not support and the FDA framework does not permit for these preparations. A clinic willing to make them to win your business is telling you how it will behave later.
The four procedures
PRP — platelet-rich plasma
What it is: A concentration of the platelet fraction of your own blood.
How it is performed: A small blood sample is drawn in the clinic, spun in a centrifuge to separate and concentrate the platelet fraction, and the resulting preparation is delivered by injection under ultrasound or fluoroscopic guidance in the same visit.
PPP — platelet-poor plasma
What it is: The plasma fraction separated from the same autologous blood draw.
How it is performed: Prepared from the same centrifuged sample as PRP, taken from a different layer of the separation, and delivered by image-guided injection during the same appointment.
BMAC — bone marrow aspirate concentrate
What it is: A concentrate prepared from your own bone marrow rather than your blood.
How it is performed: A small marrow aspirate is drawn under local anesthetic, usually from the pelvis, concentrated in a centrifuge, and delivered by image-guided injection in the same visit.
A2M — alpha-2-macroglobulin
What it is: A large protease-inhibitor protein that occurs naturally in your blood, concentrated from your own sample.
How it is performed: Prepared from an autologous blood draw using a concentration process, then delivered by image-guided injection during the same appointment.
What the visit looks like
- Check-in and confirmation of the plan agreed at your evaluation
- A blood draw, or a bone marrow aspiration under local anesthetic
- Processing in a centrifuge in the clinic while you wait
- An ultrasound- or fluoroscopy-guided injection
- A short period of rest, then home the same day
- Aftercare instructions and a follow-up appointment
The whole thing is one appointment. There is no hospital admission and no general anesthetic, and because the preparation is made from your own sample in the room, it is never stored, shipped or pooled with anyone else’s.
How candidacy is decided
By evaluation, and not before. Charles Ortega, PA-C reviews your imaging, your history, your activity goals and your overall health. Some findings make these procedures inappropriate, and some point clearly somewhere else — a complete ligament rupture, a locked knee, significant deformity or advanced bone-on-bone change may be better served by an orthopedic opinion, and we will say so. Read who the program suits before you book.
What else exists that we do not perform
Because the question always comes up: genicular artery embolization is a different kind of procedure entirely, performed by an interventional radiologist rather than in a clinic like ours. We evaluate and refer for it. We do not perform it.
PRP, PPP, BMAC, and A2M are autologous procedures prepared from your own blood or bone marrow. They are considered investigational and are not FDA-approved for the treatment of any specific orthopedic condition, including osteoarthritis. Individual results are not guaranteed. Any decision to pursue an orthobiologic procedure should be made with your provider after a clinical evaluation.
Orthobiologic procedure FAQs
Find out where you actually stand
An evaluation tells you whether any of this is relevant to your knee. Book at our Addison clinic or call us.