What is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)?
Plasma is the liquid portion of your blood and is primarily composed of water, but also includes proteins and nutrients. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is a sample of the patients’ own plasma that is concentrated with platelets (for clotting) and white blood cells (for fighting infection).
PRP is obtained by drawing a small sample of blood from the patient and removing the red blood cells and plasma. This technology yields a high concentration of platelets and white blood cells that is 5-7 times greater than normal. This separation is done in the office and is ready to use at the time of injection.
Regenerative Injection Therapy with PRP
This procedure utilizes your body’s own bioactive proteins, also known as growth factors, to replace, repair, and regenerate tissue. Therefore, by increasing the concentration of platelets, we can deliver a powerful mixture of growth factors directly to the injured tissue and dramatically enhance the body’s natural healing process.This treatment may result in a more rapid, efficient, and thorough, restoration of the tissue to a healthy state.
What conditions does this procedure treat?
PRP has been used for over 20 years in numerous surgical fields to enhance bone grafting, accelerate wound healing and reduce the risk of injection after surgery. In recent years, physicians have begun injection PRP to treat chronic pain. Tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, rotator cuff tears, shoulder and hip bursitis, meniscal tears, osteoarthritis and chronic low back and neck pain are all being successfully treated with the injection of PRP [with the goal of regenerating degenerated connective tissue.