Having successfully treated patients with PRP and also receiving the treatment himself, Dr. Alan Hirahara, MD, FRCSC is an advocate for the healing power of the orthobiologic treatment.

There is level one evidence that PRP is very effective in DJD, superior to HA, superior to placebo, and superior to cortisone,” he says. “Level one evidence that PRP is better in patellar tendinopathy and partial rotator cuff tears. PRP promotes stem cell migration and proliferation because that’s its job. Platelets, with their release of alpha granules, promote proliferation and migration of the stem cells, which do the work.”

Dr. Hirahara is also a proponent of using ultrasound guidance to ensure the expensive treatments get to the right place. Watch this video to see him treat his patient, Carter Lescault, suffering from lateral epicondylitis with PRP using a Clarius L15 HD high-frequency linear scanner.

Patient Interview with Carter Lescault

For Carter, injuries from over working out resulted in severe elbow pain that months of conservative treatment failed to resolve. We had a chance to interview Carter about his recent successful PRP treatment with Dr. Hirahara. Watch his video to learn why ultrasound improved his confidence following the procedure.

The past surgeons I had been working with did not use ultrasound,” says Carter concerned about the efficacy of those costly procedures. “I got a PRP injections six months ago and the surgeon did not use ultrasound. They felt around where the lateral epicondyle was and injected into where they thought, to their best knowledge, the tendon was. But did they actually get it into the tendon, into that space? It certainly didn’t heal. The pain didn’t go away. Understanding that Dr. Hirahara used ultrasound, he could see, while he was putting the needled in, exactly the site that he needs to go into. And, when he started injecting into the site, I could feel it filling up. I know that’s going to start the healing process.”

About Dr. Hirahara

Dr. Hirahara is board certified in both orthopaedic surgery and orthopaedic sports medicine in both the United States and Canada. He was recently appointed to the NCAA committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports and is currently involved with the Health and Safety Committee for the Big Sky conference. He’s the medical director and team physician for California State University, Sacramento athletics and head team physician for the Sacramento River Cats and a triple A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.

Dr. Hirahara recently presented a one-hour webinar on using ultrasound for accurate and painless MSK injections. Watch his webinar to learn more about his techniques for effective pain management procedures.

Handheld Ultrasound for Orthopedic Surgery

Dr. Hirahara uses the Clarius L15 for his practice. Visit our orthopaedic surgery specialty page or contact us for to learn more about adding handheld ultrasound to your practice.