Consult with a Fellowship-Trained Shoulder Specialist
Dr. Benjamin DuBois has treated shoulders — and only shoulders — since 2004. He's a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who performs both the injections and the surgeries, which means the person evaluating your shoulder is the same person who can repair it if that's what it needs.
That matters with PRP specifically. Deciding whether it fits your injury takes a detailed read of your anatomy and what's actually failing in it — and if the answer is that surgery would serve you better, he'll tell you.
His credentials include:
- Clinical Experience: Over 5,000 shoulder surgeries and more than 10,000 ultrasound-guided injections performed.
- Educational Leadership: Co-founder of the MSK Ultrasound Course, having trained thousands of physicians in precision injection technique.
- Board Certification: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery; Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
- Specialized Training: Fellowship-trained in advanced shoulder surgery at the University of Washington.
- National Recognition: Ranked #8 in the U.S. for shoulder surgery — Newsweek / Statista, America's Leading Doctors 2025.
Wondering If PRP Could Help Your Shoulder?
Most people who ask that question have already been told something discouraging — that they should wait and see, that surgery is the only real answer, or that nothing more can be done. Dr. DuBois takes a different view. He'd rather look at your shoulder himself before anyone decides what your options are.
You don't need an MRI in hand to schedule. You don't need to have finished physical therapy. You don't need a diagnosis. If your shoulder hurts and you want to understand what's causing it and what can be done, that's enough to book an evaluation.
PRP is one of several options he may discuss with you, and it's a low-risk one — it uses only your own blood, requires no incision or anesthesia, and doesn't rule out surgery later if you need it. What he can tell you after examining your shoulder and reviewing your imaging is which approach fits your particular injury, whether that's PRP, physical therapy, an injection, or repair. Some shoulders are best served by surgery, and he'll tell you that plainly rather than sell you something that won't work.
Your PRP Visit, Step by Step
It's an office visit. Blood draw, a short wait while the sample is prepared, then the injection — and you drive yourself home.
Your Evaluation
Dr. DuBois examines your shoulder himself and reviews any imaging you have. If you don't have an MRI yet, he'll tell you whether you need one. The goal of this visit isn't to screen you for a single procedure — it's to understand what's actually wrong with your shoulder and walk you through every option that fits it.
Drawing and Preparing Your Blood
A small sample is drawn from your arm, the same as any routine lab work. It spins in a centrifuge, separating and concentrating the platelets and the growth factors they carry. Nothing is added. What goes back into your shoulder came out of your own arm minutes earlier.
Ultrasound-Guided Injection
Dr. DuBois performs every PRP injection under live ultrasound, watching the needle tip on screen as it reaches the exact structure in question — the rotator cuff tendon, the subacromial bursa, the joint space itself. Many clinics inject by landmark alone, aiming for approximately the right area.
Why Needle Placement Decides Whether PRP Works
This is live ultrasound from one of Dr. DuBois's PRP injections. The bright line entering from the left is the needle, moving toward the rotator cuff. He watches this screen throughout — not an approximation of where the needle should be, but where it actually is.
That distinction matters more than most patients realize. Injections placed by feel and surface landmarks miss their intended target more often than you'd expect, and the shoulder is a difficult joint for it: the subacromial bursa and the biceps tendon sheath are narrow spaces sitting close to structures you don't want to inject. PRP delivered near the problem instead of into it is a wasted procedure and a wasted expense.
Dr. DuBois has performed more than 10,000 ultrasound-guided injections and co-founded the Regenerative Medicine and MSK Ultrasound Course, where he's trained thousands of physicians in the technique.
Could PRP Help Your Shoulder?
The honest answer is that it depends on what's actually wrong with your shoulder — and that's what the evaluation is for. But PRP tends to come up most often for:
- Rotator cuff problems. Partial tears, tendinopathy, and chronic cuff irritation are among the most common reasons patients ask about PRP — how the injection-or-surgery decision gets made.
- Shoulder bursitis and tendon pain that hasn't settled down with rest, therapy, or a cortisone shot.
- Early to moderate shoulder arthritis, where the joint is wearing but replacement isn't yet on the table.
- Anyone who wants to try something before surgery. PRP doesn't burn any bridges. If it doesn't get you where you need to be, repair remains fully available.
You don't need an MRI, a diagnosis, or a finished round of physical therapy to come in. If your shoulder hurts, that's reason enough. Dr. DuBois will examine it and tell you what he sees.
Two things he'll be straight with you about: a few conditions — active infection, severe anemia, certain blood disorders — make PRP unsafe, and he'll check for those. And if you have a massive retracted cuff tear or bone-on-bone arthritis, he'll tell you plainly that surgical repair or replacement will serve you better.
Investment and Insurance Guidance
Transparency regarding the financial aspects of orthobiologic care is a priority for our office.
- The Diagnostic Visit: If we participate with your insurance provider, your initial consultation—which includes a comprehensive physical exam and a review of your MRI imaging—can typically be billed to your insurance.
- PRP Procedure: Because PRP is currently categorized as an investigational treatment, it is a self-pay procedure and is generally not covered by standard health insurance plans.
- HSA and FSA Eligibility: PRP is a recognized medical expense. Patients are encouraged to utilize their Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to cover the cost of treatment.
- Customized Estimates: Total costs are determined by the specific treatment protocol required for your injury. A full financial estimate will be provided following your diagnostic evaluation with Dr. DuBois.
- HMO, Out-of-Network, and Self-Pay: You do not need to be in-network to be seen. HMO and out-of-network patients are welcome on a self-pay basis, with consultation pricing quoted before your visit.
For a fuller breakdown — what Medicare covers, HSA and FSA eligibility, and options if we're out of network with your plan — see our guide to insurance coverage for shoulder PRP.
Ranked #8 in the U.S. for shoulder surgery
Dr. Benjamin DuBois has been recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Leading Doctors for 2025. This national ranking, conducted in partnership with Statista, identifies the most respected specialists in the field of shoulder surgery based on peer recommendations and clinical excellence.
For patients navigating the complex research surrounding Platelet-Rich Plasma and orthobiologics, this recognition reinforces the importance of receiving a clinical evaluation from a fellowship-trained specialist with a proven track record in shoulder pathology and diagnostic precision.
Nationally Recognized Leadership in Shoulder Care Ranked Among the Top 10 Shoulder Specialists in the U.S.
Dr. Benjamin DuBois has been recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Leading Doctors for 2025. This national ranking, conducted in partnership with Statista, identifies the most respected specialists in the field of shoulder surgery based on peer recommendations and clinical excellence.
For patients navigating the complex research surrounding Platelet-Rich Plasma and orthobiologics, this recognition reinforces the importance of receiving a clinical evaluation from a fellowship-trained specialist with a proven track record in shoulder pathology and diagnostic precision.
PRP for Shoulder Pain: Common Questions
A PRP session is performed as an outpatient procedure and follows four steps.
- Clinical evaluation. Dr. DuBois performs a physical examination and reviews your MRI imaging to confirm the diagnosis and determine whether the injury profile is appropriate for PRP.
- Blood draw. A small sample of your own blood is drawn in-office.
- Centrifugation. The sample is processed in a centrifuge, which separates the blood by density and concentrates the platelet fraction into a small volume of plasma. This is your own biological material — nothing is added from another source.
- Ultrasound-guided injection. Dr. DuBois delivers the concentrate under real-time musculoskeletal ultrasound, watching the needle tip on-screen as it enters the targeted structure.
Yes — it determines whether the injection actually reaches the intended target. Published accuracy studies have consistently found that unguided ("blind") shoulder injections miss the intended structure in a meaningful percentage of cases, particularly in narrow spaces such as the subacromial bursa, the biceps tendon sheath, and the glenohumeral joint. Ultrasound guidance allows the physician to visualize the needle tip in real time and confirm placement.
Dr. DuBois performs 100% of PRP injections under ultrasound guidance. He is also a co-founder of the MSK Ultrasound Course and has trained thousands of physicians in precision injection technique.
They are different categories of injection with different mechanisms.
A corticosteroid injection is a pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory. It works by suppressing the local inflammatory response, which can produce meaningful short-term pain relief. It does not act on tissue repair, and repeated corticosteroid injections into or near tendon are generally limited because of concerns about tendon integrity over time.
PRP is autologous — it is made from your own blood and contains no drug. Platelets carry a large number of signaling proteins and growth factors, and the premise under study is that concentrating and delivering them to an area of pathology may influence the local healing environment.
In most cases, yes — prior corticosteroid injections do not disqualify you. Timing does matter, though. Because corticosteroid suppresses the local inflammatory response and PRP is intended to work through it, Dr. DuBois generally prefers an interval between the two rather than performing PRP shortly after a steroid injection.
Bring the dates and locations of any prior injections to your evaluation, including any performed elsewhere. If you have had multiple corticosteroid injections into the same shoulder, that history is clinically relevant and Dr. DuBois will want to review it.
Because PRP is currently classified as an investigational treatment for shoulder conditions, it is a self-pay procedure. The total depends on your specific protocol — the structure being treated, the number of injection sites, and whether a single injection or a series is planned — which is why a figure is not quoted before evaluation.
What the practice can tell you up front is the structure:
- The diagnostic visit — physical examination and MRI review — can typically be billed to insurance if Dr. DuBois participates with your plan.
- The PRP procedure itself is self-pay and is generally not covered.
- HSA and FSA funds can be used.
- A written estimate is provided after your diagnostic evaluation, before anything is scheduled. You will not be asked to commit to a procedure without knowing the cost.
To request an estimate for your specific situation, call the office at (619) 462-3131 or request an evaluation.
Most insurance carriers, including Medicare, currently classify PRP as investigational or experimental for shoulder conditions and do not cover it. This is a coverage determination based on the current state of the evidence, not a reflection of the individual case.
What generally is covered for in-network patients: the initial specialist consultation, the physical examination, review of your MRI, and diagnostic imaging itself. In practical terms, the diagnostic workup that determines whether you are a candidate is typically billable to your plan; the PRP procedure is not.
The office can verify your specific benefits before your visit.
Yes. PRP performed by a board-certified physician to treat a diagnosed medical condition — such as rotator cuff tendinopathy, bursitis, or glenohumeral arthritis — is generally recognized as a qualified medical expense for Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts.
Some plan administrators request documentation. The office can provide an itemized receipt, and a letter of medical necessity can be issued on request. Plan rules vary, so confirm requirements with your administrator before your appointment.
The blood draw is comparable to a routine lab draw. For the injection itself, the skin is anesthetized first, and most patients describe pressure rather than sharp pain as the concentrate is delivered.
Post-injection soreness in the treated shoulder is expected and is considered a normal part of the response — typically most noticeable in the first several days. Ice and acetaminophen are generally permitted.
One instruction matters more than the others: anti-inflammatory medications are typically restricted before and after the procedure. NSAIDs act against the inflammatory cascade the injection is intended to work through. Tell Dr. DuBois about all medications and supplements you take, including over-the-counter ones.
Most patients return to desk work the next day. Return to lifting, overhead activity, and sport is staged and depends on the structure treated.
That depends almost entirely on the stage of arthritis.
For advanced, bone-on-bone glenohumeral arthritis, the answer is no. When the cartilage surface is gone, there is no biological process for an injection to support, and Dr. DuBois will tell you directly that shoulder replacement — not PRP — is the appropriate discussion.
For mild-to-moderate glenohumeral arthritis, PRP is being studied as a means of modulating joint inflammation and managing symptoms. Whether it alters the long-term course of the disease or delays the need for replacement has not been established, and it should not be presented as a way to avoid surgery. It is more accurately understood as one option for symptom management in earlier-stage disease.
An MRI review is what distinguishes these two situations, which is why imaging is reviewed before any recommendation is made.
This varies by patient and by condition, and no timeline can be promised. In general, PRP is not expected to produce immediate relief the way a corticosteroid injection can; the premise under study is a gradual biological response over a period of weeks, not days.
Whether a single injection or a series is planned depends on the structure being treated and your response, and is determined by Dr. DuBois at evaluation.
Follow-up is scheduled so that response can be assessed clinically rather than left to guesswork. If you are not responding well, the conversation will move to other options.
Yes — Dr. DuBois reviews MRI imaging before considering PRP for any patient. The decision depends on the specific structure involved and the extent of tissue damage, and those cannot be determined by examination alone. This is also how patients who would be better served by surgery are identified before spending money on a procedure that is not appropriate for them.
If you already have an MRI, bring it. Studies performed elsewhere are welcome; Dr. DuBois will review the actual images, so request the study on disc or through your imaging center's electronic release rather than bringing only the written report.
If you do not have current imaging, it can be ordered at your evaluation and is typically billable to insurance for in-network patients.
Because PRP is autologous — prepared from your own blood — the risks associated with introducing a foreign substance, such as allergic reaction or immune rejection, do not apply in the way they would with a drug.
The risks that do apply are those common to any injection procedure: infection at the injection site, bleeding or bruising, temporary increase in pain, and, uncommonly, nerve or vessel irritation. These risks are low and are further reduced by sterile technique and by ultrasound guidance, which allows the needle path to be visualized rather than estimated.
The most commonly reported effect is not a complication but an expected one: post-injection soreness in the treated shoulder for several days.
Dr. DuBois will review the full risk profile with you at your evaluation, along with the reasons PRP may not be appropriate in your case.