A form of regenerative medicine where our physician uses the patient’s own body healing process to inject a special concentrated amount of platelets into an area affected by pain which can include joints, tendons, bursa and spinal disks. A specific centrifuge is used to prepare the platelet-rich plasma and is injected using ultrasound or fluoroscopy for real time x-ray imaging which increases accuracy and efficacy.
It is recommended that patients taking PRP stop NSAIDs 7-10 days prior to the procedure and up to 6 weeks post procedure. It is also recommended to refrain from steroid injection for at least one month prior to procedure. It is also recommended NOT to perform steroid administration at all after procedure, instead is recommended to repeat PRP injection.
In general, there are multiple growth factors that contribute to healing cascade that PRP can be helpful in treating the cause more than just the symptoms.
There is information regarding successful treatment for both acute and chronic painful conditions using platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections. Platelet counts of 1-1,500,000 platelets per/ml of pain is considered optimal to promote tissue healing. This is not a stem cell therapy. Growth factors are released from the alpha granules in the platelet and initiates a healing cascade, cellular chemotaxis, angiogenesis, collagen matrix synthesis and cellular proliferation. Activated platelets and fibrinogen are a natural response to hemostasis and healing. Platelets carry growth factors intended for tissue repair and regeneration. PRP works by initially causing an inflammatory process that causes recruitment of other cells.
