What PRP is
PRP, or platelet-rich plasma, is made from your own blood. Dr. Hric draws about four tablespoons, concentrates the platelets and the growth factors they carry, and places that concentrate precisely in the injured area — ultrasound-guided when that improves accuracy. A typical visit runs about an hour. The goal is to support your body's own healing at the site of the injury, not to add anything from an outside source.
PRP has reasonable evidence for certain ligament injuries and mild-to-moderate arthritis, and Dr. Hric is candid about its limits: it does not regrow cartilage or reverse advanced, bone-on-bone arthritis, results vary from person to person, and not everyone is a candidate.
What "stem cell therapy" claims — and where the evidence stands
"Stem cell" therapy is marketed as injecting living regenerative cells that regrow or replace worn tissue. It is an appealing promise, and it is easy to understand why patients ask about it. The trouble is that the science has not caught up with the marketing.
Many products sold as "stem cell" treatments — including amniotic, umbilical-cord, and exosome injections — actually contain few or no living, functional stem cells by the time they reach the clinic. High-quality clinical evidence that they outperform simpler options is limited, and the FDA has warned about unapproved cell-based products. This is not a knock on anyone who has looked into them; it is a fair reading of where the evidence sits today.
Why Dr. Hric offers PRP but not stem cell injections
Great Physician practices Conservative First: recommend the least invasive option that has real evidence behind it, and be honest when a treatment is not worth it. Because the evidence for commercial stem cell and exosome injections does not yet meet that bar — and because some of these products raise safety and regulatory questions — Dr. Hric does not offer them. The three treatments he does offer are PRP, prolotherapy, and focal sound wave therapy.
Dr. Hric performs every treatment personally, drawing on more than 40 years of medical experience. If regenerative care is not the right fit, he will tell you that too. Because these treatments generally are not covered by insurance, Great Physician is direct-pay, with clear pricing given up front and no referral needed. The honest way to settle it is a consultation, where he can give you a straight read on whether PRP — or something simpler — makes sense for your situation.
Reviewed by Dr. Jerry Hric, Great Physician Regenerative Medicine · Updated July 15, 2026. Educational information, not a substitute for an in-person evaluation.