Platelet Rich Plasma

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is a preparation made from a patient’s own blood that is injected back into an injury to strongly stimulate the body’s own healing response. It was originally pioneered by dentists who injected it into the jaw to stimulate healing. Currently, it is gaining media attention due to its use by professional athletes to speed their recovery back to full performance without surgery.

This therapy is recognized as the cutting edge of injection therapies available today for severely degenerated joints, significant muscle tearing, and injuries that do not respond to prolotherapy or prolozone injections.

Background

Platelets are cell fragments that naturally occur in blood. They are very rich in chemicals called growth factors. Growth factors play an important role in stimulating all of the processes involved in healing an injury. There are at least 10 different growth factors that are known to be released by platelets in response to an injury. When the body is injured, platelets in the blood migrate to the injury to form a clot. As the platelets form a clot, they release growth factors into the blood. Growth factors bring the body’s own stem cells to the injury to kick-start the tissue rebuilding process.

Surgery Alternative

Many orthopedic doctors are now using this technique as an option before surgery. Studies have shown this to be an attractive option because the procedure is quick, the recovery time is minimal and there is no scarring. Research has shown that PRP injections accelerate the healing in tendon and ligament injuries, which are some of the most difficult injuries to recover from.

PRP in the Office

A quick blood draw starts the process of a PRP visit.  The patient’s blood is then put into a centrifuge that spins it at such a high rate that the blood separates into layers.  The platelet layer is concentrated through this process by up to 10 times its normal concentration in blood.  The platelets are then re-injected into the injured tissue.  The entire process in the office takes about 30 minutes.