PRP vs Cortisone Injection in London 2026. Which One Heals, Which One Numbs, and How to Choose Before You Let Anyone Inject Your Joint
Before you accept the cortisone injection you have probably been offered, understand the trade you are actually making, because the two injections do opposite things. Cortisone is a fire extinguisher, a powerful steroid that switches off inflammation within days and buys real, fast relief, but the relief is temporary, weeks to a few months, it does nothing to repair the joint or tendon, and repeated injections are associated with cartilage thinning and tendon weakening, which is why guidelines cap steroids at roughly three per joint per year and why, in tendon problems, the studies keep showing the same pattern, cortisone wins the first three months and then symptoms return, sometimes worse, with tendon tissue measurably degraded on ultrasound. PRP is the opposite instrument. It is slower, four to six weeks to noticeable improvement, because it is not numbing anything, it is using your own concentrated growth factors to heal the underlying tissue, and the payoff is durability, six to eighteen months in a knee and, in tennis elbow, a one-year success rate of around 73 percent against cortisone's 49, a lead that held at two years. Neither is universally right. A flaring joint sometimes needs cortisone's speed first, and a bone-on-bone joint needs a surgeon, not either injection.
Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered doctor at The London PRP Clinic. Last updated August 2026.
Ask which injection is right for you on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com or call 020 3951 3429.
What cortisone does, honestly, and where it earns its place
Cortisone, a corticosteroid, is a genuine and useful drug, and dismissing it entirely is as dishonest as overselling it. Injected into an inflamed joint or around an irritated structure, it suppresses the inflammatory cascade fast, often bringing meaningful relief within days, which for an acutely flaring knee, a frozen shoulder in its painful phase, or a joint that needs to calm down before rehabilitation can even begin, is a real and appropriate use. Its two honest limitations are that the effect is symptomatic and temporary, generally weeks to a few months, and that it does not heal, it quiets. Repeated use is where the caution lies, because steroid injected repeatedly into a joint is associated with faster cartilage loss, and injected into or around a tendon it can weaken the collagen it sits in, which is why responsible practice limits it to around three per joint per year and thinks carefully before repeating it in a tendon at all. Cortisone is a good short-term tool used sparingly, and a poor long-term strategy used often.
What PRP does differently, and why the timing is inverted
PRP starts from the opposite intention. A little of your blood is spun to concentrate the platelets and their growth factors, and that concentrate is injected to provoke, not suppress, a controlled healing response in the tissue, recruiting repair cells, laying down new collagen in a damaged tendon, and calming the chronic inflammation that drives degeneration in an arthritic joint. Because it is initiating repair rather than blocking a signal, it is slower, most people feel little for the first couple of weeks and then improve steadily from four to six weeks onward, and it can keep improving for months. The reward for that patience is durability and safety, effects lasting six to eighteen months in the knee and often longer in a healed tendon, without the tissue-thinning liability of repeated steroids, because you are adding your own biology rather than a drug that suppresses the tissue's own maintenance. The mental model that helps most is simple. Cortisone removes the pain and leaves the problem. PRP leaves the pain in place for a few weeks and works on the problem.
Ask whether PRP or cortisone fits your case on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com.
The head-to-head, by what you actually have
The right choice depends far less on which injection is fashionable and far more on your specific problem, which is why an assessment beats a slogan. In knee osteoarthritis of mild to moderate grade, the recent evidence favours PRP for larger and longer-lasting improvement in pain and function than cortisone, while cortisone remains the faster option for a knee that is acutely flaring and needs to settle. In chronic tendon problems, the case for PRP is at its strongest and the case against repeated cortisone at its clearest, because tendinopathy is a degenerative rather than an inflammatory condition, so an anti-inflammatory steroid treats the wrong target, relieves briefly, and in the trials leaves the tendon thinner and the symptoms recurring, whereas PRP heals the tissue it is injected into. In tennis elbow specifically, a double-blind trial found 73 percent of the PRP group met the definition of success at one year against 49 percent for cortisone, with the cortisone group improving first and then declining and the PRP group improving more slowly and continuing to improve, a difference that held at two years. In an advanced, bone-on-bone joint, neither injection is the answer and the honest recommendation is surgical. The pattern across all of it is consistent, cortisone for short-term control of an inflammatory flare, PRP for durable repair of a degenerative or arthritic problem, and a clinic that can offer both is the one able to tell you which you are.
When both is the right answer
The choice is not always either-or, and a good doctor will sometimes recommend a sequence rather than a single injection. A patient in severe pain who cannot begin rehabilitation, or who needs to function through a specific short window, may reasonably have cortisone first for rapid relief, then PRP once the flare has settled to do the actual healing work, with enough time left between them that the steroid is not still suppressing the tissue the plasma is trying to stimulate. Equally, some knee protocols combine PRP with hyaluronic acid where the evidence suggests the pair outperforms either alone. The reason this staging is safer decided by a doctor than by a clinic that only sells one product is obvious, a cortisone-only clinic will reach for cortisone, a PRP-only clinic will reach for PRP, and only a practice that offers the full range, and is willing to earn less by recommending the cheaper injection or none, can sequence them in your interest rather than its own.
What each injection costs in London, and reading the price honestly
Cortisone is the cheapest injection in the room, typically £120 to £200, which is part of why it is offered so readily, but the low unit price hides the fact that its relief is short and often needs repeating, and repeating carries the tissue cost above. PRP sits higher because the plasma must be drawn and processed, with typical doctor-led London joint injections at £400 to £900 each, consultant-led and Harley Street-address clinics commonly £800 to £1,200 and beyond per injection, and multi-injection courses from £1,500 to £3,000 and up. A private consultation to decide between them usually runs £150 to £300. The honest way to read the gap is per year of relief rather than per injection, a course of PRP that delivers twelve to eighteen months of durable improvement can compare favourably with repeated cortisone that must be re-dosed every few months and cannot be repeated indefinitely without cost to the joint.
At The London PRP Clinic both injections are on the menu and the doctor chooses with you. All figures are typical London market ranges; the clinic confirms your exact fee at assessment.
PRP joint injection, doctor-performed, in the £400 to £900 per-injection London band, below the £800 to £1,200-plus consultant and Harley Street tier.
Cortisone injection where a short-term flare genuinely warrants it, rather than as a default, discussed honestly against PRP.
Assessment first, with any imaging reviewed, so the recommendation follows your problem rather than the clinic's stock.
Same-week appointments in Marylebone, three minutes from Baker Street, with 187 five-star reviews across the clinic's regenerative work.
Why The London PRP Clinic is the right place to make this decision
Because the decision between healing and numbing should be made by someone who profits from neither answer more than the other, and that describes a doctor-led clinic that offers both. Every treatment here is performed by a GMC-registered doctor who can give you cortisone when a flare genuinely calls for its speed, PRP when a degenerative or arthritic problem calls for repair, a staged sequence of both when that serves you, or a referral to a surgeon when neither injection is the honest answer. The plasma is prepared to the standard the evidence rewards, and the assessment reviews your imaging before anything is recommended. And the pricing sits in the doctor-led band rather than the Harley Street-address tier, so you are paying for the clinical judgement that gets the choice right, not the postcode. In a market where the injection you are offered too often depends on what the clinic in front of you happens to sell, the value here is a room that can offer everything and is willing to recommend the cheapest option, or none, when that is the truth.
Book an assessment to decide on WhatsApp or call 020 3951 3429.
Frequently asked questions
Is PRP better than cortisone
For durable results in degenerative and arthritic problems, generally yes, PRP heals the tissue and lasts six to eighteen months, while cortisone relieves faster but temporarily and cannot be repeated indefinitely without risk to cartilage and tendon. For a short-term inflammatory flare, cortisone's speed can be the better tool first. The right answer depends on your specific problem, which is why an assessment matters.
Why does cortisone stop working for my tendon
Because tendinopathy is degenerative rather than inflammatory, so an anti-inflammatory steroid treats the wrong target, relieving pain briefly while the underlying tendon does not heal, and in the trials symptoms recur and the tendon can be left thinner. PRP, which stimulates repair of the tendon itself, is the better-matched treatment for chronic tendon pain.
How long before PRP works compared with cortisone
Cortisone often relieves within days but fades over weeks to a few months. PRP is slower, with little change for the first couple of weeks and steady improvement from four to six weeks, but it lasts longer, six to eighteen months in a knee and often longer in a healed tendon.
Can I have cortisone first and PRP later
Sometimes, yes. A staged approach, cortisone for rapid relief of a severe flare followed by PRP once it settles, is reasonable when timed so the steroid is no longer suppressing the tissue the plasma needs to stimulate. This is a decision to make with a doctor who can offer both.
Which is cheaper, PRP or cortisone
Cortisone is cheaper per injection at £120 to £200, against £400 to £900 for doctor-led PRP, but cortisone's relief is short and needs repeating, so comparing cost per year of relief, rather than per injection, is the honest measure. The London PRP Clinic confirms exact fees at assessment
Is repeated cortisone safe
Occasional cortisone is generally safe, which is why guidelines allow around three per joint per year, but repeated injections are associated with cartilage thinning in joints and collagen weakening in tendons, so relying on steroid long-term carries a tissue cost that PRP does not.
The London PRP Clinic is a doctor-led regenerative medicine practice in Marylebone, adjacent to Harley Street. All doctors are GMC-registered. This article is general information and not a substitute for medical advice about your own condition.
Enquire now on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com or call 020 3951 3429.
References. Randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews comparing platelet-rich plasma with corticosteroid injection in lateral epicondylitis, including one and two-year outcomes and ultrasonographic evidence of tendon change. Meta-analyses of PRP versus corticosteroid and hyaluronic acid in knee osteoarthritis. Reviews of corticosteroid versus PRP in rotator cuff and plantar fascia. Guidance on corticosteroid injection frequency limits. Published 2026 UK and London pricing for PRP, cortisone injections and private consultations.
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