PRP: Ten Facts You Should Know

PRP injections can help quicken the healing process for injuries. Here are 10 things you should know about this emerging treatment option:

1. Platelet-rich Plasma

PRP, or Platelet-rich Plasma, is used in emerging regenerative medicine therapies. It leverages the body’s ability to heal itself. It can help enhance the healing process for soft tissue injuries, joint pain, and other injuries.

2. Natural way to reduce inflammation

Since PRP uses platelets from your body, it’s a completely natural way to help heal your body and reduce inflammation. The injections do not involve any synthetic painkillers or other medications.

3. Treats tissue damage

Doctors inject PRP into the area where there is tissue damage or inflammation. It is commonly used to treat injuries like achilles tendinitis, tennis elbow and plantar fasciitis.

4. PRP contains growth factors and anti-iflammatory proteins

By concentrating platelets from your body, doctors are able to amplify the healing capabilities your body naturally produces. Within PRP, there are anti-inflammatory proteins and growth factors that help your body heal efficiently.

5. Longer lasting than hauronic acid when used in an arthritic joint

Another benefit of PRP is that lasts longer than other treatments for arthritis. For instance, while you may need hauronic acid injections every few weeks, PRP injections often provide benefits for months.

6. In-office procedure

Doctors obtain PRP by drawing blood from your arm and then spinning it in a centrifuge. This concentrates the platelets. They then inject the concentrated platelets in the injured area of your body. Everything can be done in-office.

7. Simplicity

One of the advantages of these injections is the simplicity of the process. Doctors can distill healing capabilities from your body and inject you with an amplified version of these capabilities, all in the office during your visit.

8. Used commonly in pro athletes

Tiger Woods was one of the first pro athletes to use PRP injections. It helped him heal an ACL injury. Tennis star Rafael Nadal has also used these injections to help heal his knee.

9. No risk of allergic reaction or disease transmission

Another advantage of PRP treatment is that it carries zero risk for negative reactions or disease transmission. This is because it is derived from your own blood. This natural treatment avoids some of the risks associated with other treatments for injuries.

10. Highly effective

PRP can be an effective treatment option for people looking for accelerated healing. In particular, injured athletes, people with injuries who lead active lifestyles, and people with arthritis are some groups that may benefit significantly. PRP can help lead to faster healing and recovery.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Grossfeld and the other experts at Orthopaedic Specialists, call 502-212-2663 today.