Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy
Throughout the world, medical professionals have learned that the body has an incredible ability to heal itself. Platelet-Rich Plasma therapy is a form of regenerative medicine that can stimulate those abilities and amplify the natural growth factors your body uses to heal tissue.
What are Plasma and Platelets?
Plasma is the liquid portion of whole blood. It is composed largely of water and proteins, and provides a medium for red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets to circulate through the body. Platelets are naturally occurring components in your blood that play an important role in healing injuries and wounds. In addition to forming blood clots, platelets have hundreds of proteins called growth factors, which are responsible for critical aspects of healing like cellular regeneration and soft tissue repair.
What is Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)?
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy uses injections of a concentrated platelets to accelerate the healing of injured tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints. PRP injections trigger patient’s own healing system to improve musculoskeletal problems. Platelet-Rich plasma (PRP) is a sample of your own blood that contains a high concentration of platelets. PRP injections are prepared by taking 10-15 cc of your own blood and spinning it through a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets. PRP has about 4-5 times more growth factors than normal blood. These activated platelets are then injected directly into the injured or diseased body tissue. This releases growth factors that stimulate and increase the number of reparative cells your body produces.
How do Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injections work?
Platelet-Rich Plasma has been found to significantly enhance the healing process. PRP injections are commonly used with great success for shoulder pain caused by rotator cuff tears, for torn or strained knee ligaments, for Achilles tendon ruptures and for other soft-tissue injuries. PRP has also been demonstrated to improve function and reduce pain in people who have tendonitis or chronic tendinosis conditions such as tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow. Some of the key advantages of PRP injections are that they can reduce the need for anti-inflammatory medications. In addition, PRP is used with Exosome therapies for scaffolding effect to enhance a localized therapy.
