Platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP therapy) is the latest treatment option for patients with chronic pain.
PRP therapy accelerates your body's natural recovery processes, reduces inflammation and relieves pain caused by previous injuries and illnesses. PRP therapy helps restore soft tissues without the risks and recovery period typical of surgical operations. For many patients, PRP therapy is the best option to return to normal life.
What is PRP therapy?
PRP therapy has become widely known not so long ago. This was facilitated by the fact that world-famous athletes - Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal - received treatment for sports injuries with platelet-rich plasma. Platelet-rich plasma is used not only by professional athletes; platelet rich plasma therapy can help many patients.
PRP therapy uses your own blood (in the form of platelet rich plasma) to start and stimulate the body's healing processes. PRP therapy is safe, and there are no risks of transmitting any diseases, since your own blood is used. PRP therapy reduces pain associated with sports injuries, arthritis, Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, and other conditions.
PRP therapy is also known as platelet rich plasma therapy, PRP injections, and simply PRP.
Here is a partial list of conditions for which PRP therapy has been proven effective:
- Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow, Golfer's Elbow),
- Patellar Tendinopathy,
- Achilles Tendinopathy,
- Osteoarthritis,
- Medial Collateral Ligament Tear,
- Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy,
- Rotator Cuff Tear,
- Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear,
- Tendinitis,
- Muscular Fibrosis,
- Arthritis,
- Meniscus Injury,
- Chronic Synovitis,
- Joint Inflammation,
- Arthrofibrosis
The treatment is non-surgical, minimally invasive, with minimal possible side effects.
What is platelet-rich plasma?
"Blood is primarily a liquid (plasma), but in addition to plasma, it also contains other components: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The main role of platelets is blood clotting. In addition, platelets contain hundreds of proteins - growth factors - that play an important role in healing and recovery. PRP (platelet-rich plasma) is plasma with a higher number of platelets than is usually found in blood. The concentration of platelets – and therefore the concentration of growth factors – is 5-10 times higher than normal in blood.
The blood obtained from the patient is centrifuged and then injected into the patient.
The concentration of platelets in centrifuged blood can reach 1 million/uL; the normal concentration of platelets in the blood is 150-300 thousand/uL.
How does platelet-rich plasma work?
The essence of PRP therapy is the injection of one’s own growth factors, secretory proteins and platelets in high concentrations to enhance healing processes.
In addition to reducing pain, the use of platelet-rich plasma is widely used for bone fractures, in plastic surgery, dentistry, and for improved wound healing. The first successes of PRP therapy in bone fractures contributed to the spread of the new method in other areas of traumatology and orthopedics.
For example, a significant reduction in pain in chronic tendinitis is noted in 93% of cases. The results of successful treatment of medial collateral ligament sprains in athletes using PRP therapy have received wide publicity in the American media.
What are the advantages of PRP therapy?
- It is a completely natural process: the essence of the treatment is to take the patient's own blood and centrifuge it to separate the blood components into separate fractions. The doctor injects platelet-rich plasma, which helps to mobilize the healing and recovery processes in case of various injuries or damages.
- No risk of side effects: no allergic or other adverse reactions can occur, since the patient is injected with components of his own, freshly collected, blood.
- Accelerated healing time: platelet-rich plasma therapy is used in patients with chronic diseases to improve the healing process. In patients with acute conditions, PRP therapy reduces the recovery period, which significantly improves their quality of life.
- Proven benefits in osteoarthritis and other chronic conditions: new studies have shown that platelet-rich plasma therapy leads to positive results in patients with osteoarthritis. Experts also believe that PRP therapy will soon become the best alternative to hip replacement/arthroplasty.
According to the latest research, factors that influence the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma therapy include the general health of the patient, the specific area of the body treated, and the course of the disease (acute or chronic).
What diseases can be treated with platelet-rich plasma?
In addition to the conditions mentioned above, platelet-rich plasma therapy has been shown to be effective in the treatment of:
- Arthritis and osteoarthritis
- Rotator cuff tears
- Plantar fasciitis
- Anterior cruciate ligament injuries
- «Elbow tennis player" (lateral epicondylitis)
- Achilles tendonitis
- Sprains and other ankle injuries
- Sprains
- Various sports injuries
In addition, recently studies have begun to appear proving the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma therapy for hair loss, back pain, and knee pain.
I am thinking about platelet-rich plasma therapy. What should I expect from the procedure?
If you are interested in this treatment, you will first need to consult with a specialist in regenerative medicine. After a conversation, the doctor will decide on the possibility and appropriateness of PRP therapy for your condition. Pain syndrome is caused by many different diseases, and therefore the correct diagnosis by a specialist will help to choose the most appropriate treatment.
The doctor will ask you questions about:
- Your disease (diagnosis, complaints, course, duration)
- Symptoms that the disease manifests in your particular case
- Past attempts to treat the disease
If the specialist decides that PRP therapy is right for you, he will tell you what to expect from the treatment in your particular case.
The entire procedure (including the preparation of platelet-rich plasma) takes 1-2 hours. After the injection of platelet-rich plasma, in rare cases, the pain at the injection site may increase for a short time.
What are the side effects of PRP therapy?
Since the patient is injected with components of his own, freshly obtained and centrifuged, blood, the likelihood of adverse effects is minimal. However, the patient should familiarize himself with the list of possible reactions:
- Pain or bruising at the injection site
- Increased pain for several days immediately after the treatment
What is the recovery period after PRP therapy?
In general, the procedure takes no more than an hour. The treatment does not require hospitalization; also, you will not need general anesthesia. In accordance with regenerative medicine protocols, the recovery period is minimal or not required at all.
In most cases, patients can return to work immediately after the procedure.
For several days after the treatment, you are advised to rest, limit the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; it is advisable to stop smoking and drinking alcohol. It is advisable to minimize physical activity for the next 24 hours. However, as stated above, in most cases the patient can return to work and other daily activities immediately after the procedure.
Does Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy Cure Plantar Fasciitis?
As stated above, PRP therapy is one of the best and proven treatments for plantar fasciitis.
Plantar fasciitis is a common condition that is accompanied by significant pain, affecting 1 in 10 adults. The connective tissue on the bottom of the foot (plantar fascia) can become damaged or stretched by excessive walking, leading to inflammation and pain. PRP therapy for plantar fasciitis mobilizes the body's natural repair processes, thereby reducing inflammation.