Wichman Orthopedics
Orthobiologics
Orthobiologics for the Hip.
Regenerative options for hip pain and arthritis, explained honestly, including how PRP and cellular treatments fit for the hip and where the evidence is heading.
Download the printable guide (PDF)Regenerative options for hip pain and arthritis, explained honestly, including how PRP and cellular treatments fit for the hip and where the evidence is heading.
Download the printable guide (PDF)For gluteal tendinopathy and the other tendon problems around the hip, PRP is our go-to, and this is where the hip evidence is strongest.
For the hip joint itself, the evidence is increasingly favoring BMAC (bone marrow aspirate concentrate) over PRP. Because BMAC takes an extra step to obtain, we weigh that against the likely benefit and decide with you.
New to these treatments? Start with the orthobiologics overview for how PRP, Protein Concentrate, and BMAC actually work.
Gluteal tendinopathy is the most common cause of persistent pain on the outer side of the hip, often called greater trochanteric pain syndrome. It hurts to lie on that side at night, to climb stairs, or to stand on one leg. It is frequently mislabeled as bursitis and treated with repeated cortisone shots.
Here is the important part, and the part patients most often get wrong: a cortisone shot tends to feel better faster, and PRP tends to feel better longer. If you judge PRP at three or four weeks, you may conclude it failed. The benefit typically takes up to 12 weeks to show itself.
In a randomized, double-blind trial (Fitzpatrick and colleagues, American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2018), patients with chronic gluteal tendinopathy who received a single PRP injection had significantly better hip scores at 12 weeks than those who received a single corticosteroid injection. 82% of the PRP group reached a meaningful improvement, versus 57% of the cortisone group. The same research team followed these patients out to two years and found the PRP group's improvement was durable.
That is why we will ask you for patience. If we treat your gluteal tendinopathy with PRP, we are trading a fast, temporary result for a slower, longer-lasting one, and we want you to know that going in rather than judging it too early.
Compared with the knee, the published evidence for biologics inside the hip joint is earlier and still developing, and some studies suggest BMAC may outperform PRP there. But for gluteal tendinopathy the picture is much clearer, and it is one of the better-evidenced uses of PRP anywhere in the body. We will give you a straight read on which of these two situations you are in.
The strongest overall evidence for orthobiologics remains PRP for knee osteoarthritis, recognized in an April 2026 guidance statement from the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. Evidence for other joints and products is earlier and still developing, and we'll always tell you where yours falls.
The honest answer depends on you. Here is the general picture, and we settle it together after we examine you and review your imaging.
On what to expect around the procedure, see preparing for your procedure and after your procedure.
We'll evaluate your hip and give you a straight recommendation, whatever it is, biologics, something simpler, or surgery when that's genuinely the right call.
This page is for general education and is not medical advice. Orthobiologic treatments are not FDA-approved to cure or reverse any condition, results vary from person to person, and they are not right for everyone. Whether a treatment is appropriate for you is a decision we make together after an evaluation.