Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy is an injection of a concentrated mixture of the patient's own blood. PRP injections have been shown to relieve acute and chronic pain and accelerate the healing of injured tissues and joints. It is used for various conditions including tennis elbow, rotator cuff injuries, hip and knee arthritis, low back injuries and almost every area that has some “wearing and tearing†or acute injury type problem.
The limited blood supply and poor healing properties of ligaments, cartilage, and tendons make treatment necessary after injury. Many different options for treatment of pain provide more of a “Band-Aid affect†and sometimes can accelerate degeneration. Using platelets we're able to do just the opposite and accelerate healing thereby eliminating the cause of the pain.
The process is done by collecting platelets by a small sample of the patient's blood and placing it into a special centrifuge machine. A portion of the plasma is then removed and the patient's concentrated platelets are mixed with the remaining plasma to form a concentrated solution. This platelet Rich's solution has been injected into and around the injured tissues. An amazing thing happens when the PRP is injected. The growth factors from the platelets “talk†to other important cells including stem cells and tell them to come over and heal the area. The injection is usually done with some sort of guidance including ultrasound guidance and or fluoroscopic guidance and typically, only one or two injections are needed.
