Injections help some foot and ankle problems and not others. For long-standing plantar fasciitis, the commonest cause of heel pain, pooled trials show PRP gives better long-term function than steroid. For midportion Achilles tendinopathy, a large 2021 trial found PRP no better than a sham procedure, so a loading programme comes first. For ankle osteoarthritis, a 2021 trial found PRP no better than saline. A good clinic will tell you which group you are in before offering anything.

Hair loss treatment in London costs anywhere from around £10 a month for generic tablets to £15,000 or more for a large hair transplant. The cheapest option is not always the best value, and the most expensive is not always necessary. What matters is the cost of the result you need, over the time it takes to get there, for the cause of your hair loss. This guide prices every option and explains what each one buys you.

The arm has the strongest and the weakest PRP evidence side by side. For tennis elbow, a 2025 meta-analysis of 26 randomised trials found PRP clearly better than steroid beyond 6 months. For thumb-base arthritis, a 2025 placebo-controlled trial found PRP gave no meaningful short-term relief. For De Quervain’s and carpal tunnel, steroid injection or a hand surgeon is usually the right route. The skill is in matching the treatment to the diagnosis.

Pattern hair loss responds best when treatments that work in different ways are combined. Minoxidil lengthens the growth phase, PRP delivers growth factors to the follicle, and microneedling triggers a repair response and helps treatments reach the scalp. Trials show that adding PRP to minoxidil, or microneedling to minoxidil, gives more hair than minoxidil alone. The right combination depends on your diagnosis, what you are comfortable taking, and your goals.

For knee osteoarthritis, the best current evidence favours a course of 3 PRP injections over a single injection. A 2025 network meta-analysis of 10 randomised trials and 719 patients found that 3 injections reduced pain and improved function more than 1 injection at 1, 3 and 6 months. Most courses are given 1 to 2 weeks apart under ultrasound guidance, alongside strengthening exercise. PRP does not regrow cartilage, and the evidence overall is favourable but contested, which we explain in full.

PRP for hair works as a course, not a single session. Trials that show benefit almost always use 3 or more sessions spaced around a month apart, followed by maintenance. So the real question is not what 1 session costs, but what a complete course includes and whether it is built around a diagnosis. A good package covers the assessment, blood tests, 3 sessions, measured photographs and reviews at 3 and 6 months. At The London PRP Clinic by The Wellness, a course of 3 is from £1,200, with the £300 hair consultation included.

PRP is not prohibited under the World Anti-Doping Agency rules, so athletes in tested sports can have it, with limits. The best evidence in sport is for chronic tendon problems such as tennis elbow, jumper’s knee and rotator cuff tendinopathy, where trials show more durable improvement than steroid. For acute muscle tears the evidence is mixed, and a placebo-controlled trial found no benefit for a ruptured Achilles tendon. A good sports doctor uses PRP where it helps and says plainly where it does not.

Low vitamin D is common in the UK, especially from October to March, and studies consistently find lower levels in people with several types of hair loss, most clearly alopecia areata. What the research has not yet shown is that taking vitamin D regrows hair on its own. The practical answer is to test, correct a deficiency if you have one, and treat the hair loss itself alongside it, because vitamin D is rarely the only cause.

The right shoulder injection depends on what is wrong with the shoulder. For rotator cuff pain, steroid relieves pain fastest, while PRP tends to give more durable improvement over 6 to 12 months. For frozen shoulder, steroid helps in the early painful phase, hydrodilatation can improve movement, and PRP performed better than steroid at 6 months in a 2026 meta-analysis. A torn tendon after an injury may need a surgeon instead. Every shoulder injection should be ultrasound guided.

The right hip injection depends on where the pain is coming from. Pain in the groin is often from the hip joint itself, usually osteoarthritis, where steroid gives short-term relief and PRP is a promising longer-lasting option. Pain on the outer hip is usually a tendon problem, where exercise outperforms steroid injection. Pain in the buttock may be coming from the back. NICE advises against hyaluronic acid injections for osteoarthritis. Because the hip is deep, every injection should be image guided.

PRP or microneedling for thinning hair? The London PRP Clinic by The Wellness explains the evidence, medical options, safety and why diagnosis comes before a course.