6145 N Northwest Hwy
PRP Injection Cost in Chicago
Most Chicago clinics will quote you a price over the phone. Almost none of them will publish it. We think that’s backwards, so here is exactly what we charge, what’s included, and why prices in this market vary as much as they do.
Every price below is honored as published — if this page says $825, that’s what you pay. You’ll also receive a written estimate before anything is scheduled.
- Reasons for Pricing
Our PRP Prices
Joint and tendon PRP
| Treatment area | Single injection | Series of 3, prepaid | Per injection in series |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knee | $825 | $2,175 | $725 |
| Shoulder — rotator cuff, subacromial, biceps | $875 | $2,300 | $767 |
| Outer hip — gluteal tendon / greater trochanteric | $875 | $2,300 | $767 |
| Hip joint — intra-articular, image-guided | $1,000 | $2,650 | $883 |
| Sacroiliac joint | $1,000 | $2,650 | $883 |
Series pricing applies where a series is clinically indicated. For most tendon problems we start with one injection and reassess.
A series costs less per injection. Three knee injections bought as a series work out at $725 each. Bought one at a time, they are $825 each. A series is paid in full before the first injection, and it is not refundable. Our reasoning is in Our Pricing Policies below — please read it before you choose.
Treating two areas in the same visit? The second area is 50% off.
We only need to draw your blood and process it once. If we’re treating both knees, or a knee and a shoulder, the additional cost is the guidance and injection time — not a second full procedure. We pass that through rather than charging you twice. The second-area discount applies to single injections; if both areas need a series, we’ll price it for you at consultation.
- Reasons for Pricing
Spine PRP — consultation required
Read this before the numbers. PRP in the spine is an emerging treatment, not an established one. The published evidence is limited for the low back and thinner still for the neck. We offer it only to selected patients, and only after a diagnostic workup identifies a specific pain generator. For most back and neck patients, other treatments we provide have stronger evidence behind them — and that is usually what we will recommend. We publish these prices for transparency, not as an invitation.
| Treatment area | Single injection |
|---|---|
| Lumbar facet joints — bilateral, up to 3 levels | $1,250 |
| Cervical facet joints | $1,250 |
| Intradiscal — single level | $2,400 |
Prices current as of July 2026
- PRP Package
What’s Included
Every price above includes:
- The full procedure — blood draw, processing, and injection
- Ultrasound or fluoroscopic guidance — not an add-on, not optional. Every PRP injection we perform is image-guided.
- A physician performing the injection — Dr. Rock does the procedure himself
- Post-procedure instructions, and a scheduled follow-up to assess your response — there is no separate charge for the follow-up beyond your normal insurance visit cost-share
- Not charged separately:
- Your consultation and diagnostic workup — these are billed to your insurance as standard office visits, the same as any other appointment with us. You’ll owe whatever your plan’s usual copay or deductible is for a visit; there is no separate PRP consultation fee. Many cash-pay clinics charge $150–300 just to evaluate you.
- Your written estimate
- X-rays, MRI or other imaging you already have — bring it and we’ll review it
- PRP and Insurance
Insurance — The Straight Answer
PRP is not covered by insurance. Not by us, not by anyone.
- Medicare and every major commercial carrier — Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare — classify PRP for joint and tendon conditions as investigational or experimental, and they will not reimburse it.
- This is a universal policy position, not a limitation of our practice. Medicare’s only PRP coverage pathway applies to chronic nonhealing wounds, which is a different clinical situation entirely.
- If a clinic implies they can get PRP covered for your knee, be skeptical.
What this means practically:
- The PRP procedure is paid out of pocket at the time of service
- Your consultation, examination and diagnostic workup are billed to insurance in the normal way, subject to your plan’s usual copay or deductible
- You’ll sign a financial acknowledgment before treatment confirming you understand the procedure is non-covered
We’d rather you hear this now than discover it at checkout.
- Reasons for Pricing
Why PRP Prices Vary So Much in Chicago
- Pricing for PRP injections varies considerably across the Chicago area — enough that the same procedure can carry noticeably different price tags from one clinic to the next. That's confusing, and it's a fair thing to be skeptical about. Here’s what actually accounts for the difference:
The platelet concentration you receive.
PRP is not standardized. Different systems produce very different products from the same blood draw, and research on knee osteoarthritis has consistently found that outcomes track with the total dose of platelets delivered — lowconcentration preparations sometimes failed to reach the threshold of meaningful relief at all. Better systems cost more. A $500 injection is frequently a cheaper kit.
Whether image guidance is included.
Injecting a hip or a shoulder accurately requires ultrasound or fluoroscopy. Landmark-only injections miss the target more often than most patients realize. Some clinics charge for guidance separately; some don’t use it.
Who actually performs the injection.
At some clinics it’s a physician. At others it’s a nurse, a physician assistant, or a chiropractor operating within their scope.
Whether a diagnosis preceded the injection.
This is the one nobody advertises. If nobody determined which structure is generating your pain, the injection is a guess — and a cheap guess placed in the wrong tissue is more expensive than an accurate one.
Whether follow-up is included.
Some prices are for the injection only.
Where we sit and why.
- Our pricing is set slightly above the physician average and clearly below the standalone-clinic average. That gap reflects a physician performing every procedure, mandatory image guidance, a quality PRP system chosen for platelet yield, and a diagnostic workup that happens before we recommend anything. We are not the cheapest option in Chicago and we’re not trying to be.
Want to know what your specific treatment would cost? That’s what the written estimate is for.
- Reasons for Pricing
Paying for Treatment
HSA and FSA funds
are generally eligible for PRP and can be used here. A three-injection
knee series at $2,175 falls within a typical annual HSA balance.
Financing is available
through third-party medical financing, including plans with interestfree periods for qualifying applicants. Ask us and we’ll walk you through the options.
Payment is due at the time of service.
A series is paid in full before the first injection. We
accept all major cards, HSA/FSA cards, cash, and check.
- Reasons for Pricing
Our Pricing Policies
- At Your Consultation
The decision about whether PRP suits you happens before you pay anything.
Your consultation is billed to your insurance. If Dr. Rock doesn’t think PRP is likely to help your problem, he will tell you, and nothing gets scheduled. That is where we protect you from paying for a treatment that won’t work — at the consultation, not with a refund afterward.
We’ll tell you if you’re not a candidate.
Dr. Rock has a full range of other treatments available, including procedures your insurance does cover. There’s no incentive here to steer you toward PRP if something else is a better fit for your problem.
- Before You Schedule
You get a written estimate before you schedule.
Not a verbal range, not a “starts at” figure. A written number for your specific treatment plan.
We don’t quote a price only after you’re in the chair.
Cost is discussed at your consultation, before anything is scheduled, with time to think it over.
Published prices are honored.
Any price on this page is honored for any written estimate issued while it appears here. We review prices quarterly; a change never applies to an estimate you already have.
- When You Commit
If you would rather not commit, don’t.
Start with a single injection at the single-injection price and decide about a series afterward. A knee injection is $825 that way instead of $725. That is what it costs to keep the choice open, and it is a perfectly reasonable way to begin.
A series is prepaid, and it is meant to be completed.
When Dr. Rock recommends three injections, that is what the research supports, and it is what his expectation of your result is based on. A partial series is not a smaller dose of the same treatment. It is an unfinished one. So a series is paid in full before the first injection, and it is not refundable.
Is PRP Worth the Cost?
- An honest answer, since you’re being asked to pay out of pocket. You’ll see clinics compare PRP’s price to the $30,000–$50,000 cost of a joint replacement. We think that comparison is misleading. PRP is not a substitute for joint replacement. If you have advanced, bone-on-bone arthritis, PRP is unlikely to give you what a replacement would, and framing it as the cheaper alternative sets you up for disappointment.
- The more useful comparison is against what you’d otherwise be doing:
- Repeated cortisone injections, which work quickly but wear off and carry concerns with frequent use
- Ongoing anti-inflammatory medication
- Living with the pain while you wait to be “bad enough” for surgery
- For the right patient — mild-to-moderate arthritis, or a tendon problem that hasn’t resolved with therapy — published trials report meaningful improvement in pain and function lasting months rather than weeks. Whether that’s worth $2,175 to you depends on how much the pain is costing you now.
- For the wrong patient, it’s worth nothing, and we’d rather tell you that at the consultation than take your money. That’s the entire reason we’ll turn people down.
- FAQs
FAQs About PRP Cost
Your consultation, examination and any diagnostic imaging or blocks are billed to insurance normally, subject to your plan’s usual copay or deductible. The PRP procedure itself is not covered by any carrier and is paid out of pocket.
Generally yes. PRP is typically an eligible medical expense. Check with your plan administrator if you want confirmation in writing.
Yes, through third-party medical financing. We can review the options with you at your consultation.
PRP doesn’t work for everyone, and we’re upfront about that before you pay. That is exactly why the candidacy conversation comes first. Your consultation is billed to your insurance, and if Dr. Rock doesn’t think PRP is likely to help your problem, he’ll say so and we won’t schedule it. If you complete treatment and it hasn’t helped, we move on to other options rather than selling you another round — and several of those options are covered by your insurance. Series pricing is prepaid and not refundable, so if you would rather not commit up front, start with a single injection.
Not automatically — but the cheapest options often reflect a lower-grade preparation system, no image guidance, or a non-physician performing the injection. Price alone is a poor proxy. Ask any clinic three questions: who performs the injection, is it image-guided, and what platelet concentration does your system produce.
The hip joint sits deep and requires fluoroscopic or advanced ultrasound guidance for accurate placement. That’s additional equipment, time and expertise. Hip injections cost more nearly everywhere for this reason.
Yes — the second area treated in the same visit is 50% off, because we only need to draw and process your blood once. For two areas each needing a full series, we’ll price it at consultation.
Because the alternative is asking you to book an appointment to find out whether you can afford something. Nearly every clinic in Chicago will quote a price if you call and ask. Very few will put it in writing where anyone can see it. We’d rather you decide with the number in front of you.
Find out if PRP makes sense for you — and exactly what it would cost
Your consultation is billed to insurance like any other visit. You’ll leave knowing what’s causing your pain, whether PRP is a reasonable option, and a written estimate if it is.
The consultation is a real evaluation, not a sales appointment. You’ll leave knowing what’s causing your pain, whether PRP is a reasonable option, and exactly what it would cost.
