Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, is best known as an in-office injection. It also has a role in the operating room. During arthroscopic surgery, PRP can be applied directly at the repair site, where the body’s healing process is already underway. Rotator cuff repair is one of the most studied examples. This post covers what PRP is, how it is used during surgery, and what a 2026 study found when PRP was added to rotator cuff repair. What PRP is PRP is made from your own blood. A

Patients ask regularly about regrowing cartilage, and about cartilage restoration in general, and whether it's an option for them. Cartilage has no blood supply and doesn't repair itself, which I've written about separately. That's the reason this category of procedure exists at all: each one is an attempt to put something onto a joint surface the body can't rebuild on its own. There are five procedures in use today and several more in development. Which one applies to a give

Cartilage is the one tissue in your knee that can't repair itself. Here's what that actually means for you, and what it doesn't.