What describes a PRP preparation?
Begin with platelet dose, recovery, final volume, and cellular composition. Learn what each tells you before comparing devices or protocols.
Explore the core conceptsMSK Logic / Learning resources
PRP education for clinicians.
Understand the preparation. Make the numbers meaningful. Connect what you learn to clinical decisions.
A starting point for students and residents exploring platelet-rich plasma, and for physicians, NPs, PAs, and other clinicians developing their MSK knowledge.
A practical learning sequence
Start with the question in front of you.
What do the numbers mean?
Work through an illustrative preparation, then change the inputs in the free calculator to see how dose and concentration relate.
Use the platelet dose calculatorHow does this fit into practice?
Explore procedural reasoning in the Brief, follow the PRP course in development, or discuss your goals for an observational Clinical Immersion.
Explore learning optionsPRP fundamentals
Platelet dose and concentration answer different questions.
Concentration describes platelets per unit of volume. Dose describes the total number of platelets delivered. Comparing preparations requires attention to volume as well as concentration. The DEPA classification also considers production efficiency, purity, and activation. Magalon et al., 2016.
If a reliable final PRP count is available, multiply platelets per microliter by 1,000 to convert to platelets per milliliter, then multiply by the injected volume in milliliters.
A worked example
Using an assumed blood platelet count of 250,000/µL, a 60 mL whole-blood draw excluding anticoagulant, and an assumed 80% recovery:
250,000 × 1,000 × 60 × 0.80 = 12 billion platelets prepared.
In 6 mL of final PRP, that is an estimated 2 billion platelets per mL. A 3 mL portion would contain an estimated 6 billion platelets if the preparation is uniformly mixed.
These are illustrative assumptions, not measured product characteristics or a recommended treatment dose. Actual recovery varies with the system and protocol.
The PRP platelet dose calculator makes those assumptions visible. Use it to compare estimates and plan volume allocation. It does not measure the product or predict clinical benefit.
Leukocyte content is a separate characteristic.
Leukocyte-poor and leukocyte-rich describe white-cell content. Neither label, by itself, tells you the total platelet dose. Published classification systems distinguish cellular composition from other preparation features. Dohan Ehrenfest et al., 2014.
Keep a record of what is measured, what comes from characterization of a specific system or protocol, and what is estimated. Those distinctions make a comparison more useful.
Read alongside the numbers
The procedure deserves the same attention as the product.
Same Injection. Same Treatment?
A discussion of tissue targets, ultrasound guidance, and the procedural details that can be lost in a familiar treatment label.
Read about injection techniqueThe Anesthetic Isn’t Inert
Examine local anesthetic selection and tissue-toxicity research, with careful distinctions between laboratory findings and clinical outcomes.
Read about local anesthetic selectionYour next step
Keep learning, with a format that fits.
The MSK Logic Brief
Free weekly clinical perspective for learners and practicing clinicians. Read past issues or receive the next one by email.
Read and subscribe to the BriefPRP course
In development: preparation, evidence, patient selection, injection strategy, and practice integration. Enrollment details have not been announced.
Explore the planned PRP curriculumClinical Immersion
By inquiry: one or two days of observation and discussion at Inertia Medical in Fairfield, Ohio. Focus areas depend on your goals and clinic availability.
Explore the clinical observershipEducational resources support learning; independent procedural practice also requires appropriate clinical training and supervised skill development.
MSK Logic was founded by Jeremy Girmann, DO, RMSK, a board-certified PM&R physician and musculoskeletal educator.