Unlock Natural Healing and Rejuvenation with Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy
Platelet-Rich Plasma is an orthopedic therapy that uses your own blood to promote healing of injured ligaments, tendons and muscles. It is an alternative to surgery, and has been used by athletes like golfer Tiger Woods and tennis player Rafael Nadal to help heal chronic injuries such as a pulled hamstring or knee sprain.
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What is Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy?
Platelets are blood cells that have a variety of functions, including helping the body to heal itself. They produce proteins that attract other cells, such as blood vessels and fibroblasts, to the site of an injury to help repair tissue damage. In PRP therapy, doctors collect a sample of the patient’s blood and place it in a machine called a centrifuge. This spins the blood, separating out the red blood cells and leaving behind the platelets. This solution is then injected into the area of injury or pain, such as a torn knee ligament or swollen tendon.
The concentrated platelets contain alpha granules that carry a variety of growth factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, epidermal growth factor, and transforming growth factor-b. These growth factors promote healing and stimulate cell proliferation.
Researchers have found that PRP helps bone, muscle, tendon, and cartilage cells to proliferate, which ultimately leads to healing of the tissue and recovery from injury or pain. However, there are many variations in the methods used to prepare and inject PRP, which makes it difficult to compare results from one study to another. This lack of standardization calls for more research to determine exactly how PRP works and under what conditions it is most effective. For example, some patients may experience a faster healing response to PRP than others, and the type of injury or pain may also influence the results.
What are the Benefits of PRP Injections?
In PRP therapy, we take advantage of the natural growth factors found in your own blood. By delivering these growth factors directly to the area of injury, we can help to jump-start your body’s natural healing process. This can reduce pain, increase mobility and reduce the need for surgery.
Platelets are blood cells that play a significant role in triggering and facilitating tissue repair and regeneration. They release numerous biologically active molecules that stimulate the growth of new tissue and increase blood flow to the area, allowing for more oxygen and nutrients to reach damaged areas.
When a PRP injection is administered, the specialized platelets and growth factors help to create a more hospitable environment for the injured area. This promotes the formation of new connective tissue, and also helps to increase the number of reparative cells in the area. In addition, the growth factors found in PRP can help to reduce inflammation, thereby decreasing pain and discomfort.
PRP is a relatively safe treatment, and has been used in many areas of the body, including the joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments and discs. However, PRP may cause slight redness, pinpoint bleeding or bruising at the injection site. This typically resolves within 24 hours. It is important to have the procedure performed by a doctor who has experience with PRP injections and knows how to minimize these side effects.
What are the Risks of PRP Injections?
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy is a nonsurgical, blood-based procedure that utilizes the healing properties of your own body. Platelets contain a variety of growth and healing factors that help promote new tissue growth and repair chronic joint and spine deterioration.
PRP is formed when platelets are concentrated in a small volume of your own blood, using a special centrifuge. Platelets play a key role in blood clotting, wound/injury healing and bone formation.
After preparing your blood for PRP therapy, it is then injected directly into the injured area using ultrasound guidance. The injection may irritate the site for several days and can cause mild pain. It is recommended to take acetaminophen and/or apply cold compression to the injection site for relief of discomfort.
When the injection is administered there is a risk of creating a blood clot in the site. The blood clot will be treated like any other clot caused by injury. It is also possible for the color of the skin to appear bruised after a PRP injection. This is usually a normal response and will resolve as the inflammation does.
The use of PRP injections for soft tissue injuries such as tennis elbow and Achilles tendinitis is gaining popularity with athletes. It is also being used to treat chronic shoulder pain caused by rotator cuff tears and to heal damaged knee ligaments.
How Does PRP Work?
In the 1970s, researchers discovered that platelets in blood have special regenerative properties. They contain granules that carry substances called cytokines, which stimulate cells to repair damaged tissue. Among these are growth factors that promote cell mitosis, new blood vessel formation, tissue healing, and bone formation. Platelet-rich plasma contains a higher concentration of these regenerative growth factors than found in the average blood sample.
When doctors inject PRP into the joint, it prompts a response from the body that produces more of these growth factors. When the PRP is injected in a joint, it helps bring more healing cells and nutrients to the area, accelerating the process of tissue regeneration and repair. Contact ofr treatment at BellaViso.
PRP can help treat chronic sports injuries, such as tennis elbow and Achilles tendonitis. It can also help heal acute injuries, such as a pulled hamstring or knee sprain. Research shows that PRP injections can help repair damage to cartilage in a joint and even improve bone metabolism.
In some cases, a doctor may recommend PRP in conjunction with surgery to speed up the healing process of certain tissues. This includes procedures to repair rotator cuff tears, meniscus tears, or ligaments in the knee. In these surgeries, PRP can help tissues regenerate and heal faster so the patient can return to normal activity more quickly.