Every patient asks the same question: should I get PRP or stem cells? Dr. Aneesh Garg, DO, CAQ’s honest answer is that it depends — and anyone telling you to always do one over the other isn’t getting to the heart of the problem.
In this episode he breaks down exactly where each treatment comes from, why stem cells are more potent but not always necessary, how he decides which one to recommend, and what to ask during a consultation to make sure you’re getting the right treatment for your specific injury — not just the most expensive one.
Chapters:
- 00:00 PRP vs. stem cells — which one do you actually need?
- 00:45 What’s the actual difference between PRP and stem cells?
- 00:50 PRP comes from peripheral blood — stem cells from bone marrow or adipose fat
- 02:50 Stem cells are more potent than PRP — but that’s not the only consideration
- 04:02 Autologous only: why Dr. Garg only uses stem cells from your own body
- 04:46 Stem cells are more expensive — does that mean they’re always better?
- 05:29 Stem cells are generally for bigger injuries — when PRP is the smarter call
- 06:57 When Dr. Garg does stem cells, he always combines them with PRP
- 08:04 How do you decide which treatment to recommend?
- 08:08 Tissue imaging, tear size, goals, timeline, severity — what actually drives the decision
- 09:26 Why Dynamic Athlete’s success rate is over 90% — EMTT, shockwave, and biologics combined
- 11:25 PRP was the right call: tennis elbow case — stem cells would have been overkill
- 13:10 Stem cells were the right call: bone on bone knee arthritis — back hiking steep terrain
- 14:34 Earlier arthritis case: PRP and hyaluronic acid — could get two years of relief
- 15:36 What should I ask during a consultation to make sure I’m getting the right one?
- 15:41 Ask why we’re doing this treatment and not the other one
- 16:00 If nobody goes over your imaging with you — walk out
- 16:55 Olympic athlete with 10 days — college gymnast with 10 weeks — how timeline changes the plan
- 19:46 Ask who is actually doing the injection and what their experience is
