PRP Injections

What Are PRP Injections?

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is super-physiologically concentrated platelets and growth factors that stimulate healing and regeneration of injured tissues, muscles, tendons or ligaments. PRP is derived from your own body and is 100% natural. PRP injections are an increasingly popular alternative to surgery because of the great results patients of all ages are obtaining. Whether you are an elite athlete or a “Weekend Warrior,” regenerative therapies, including PRP, are an effective and safe nonsurgical therapy to treat forms of acute and chronic pain.

What are the benefits and risks of PRP therapy?

While PRP is a relatively new therapy for treatment of muscle and joint disorders, there are reliable studies (level 1 evidence) showing it to be effective for certain conditions including tendon and ligament tears (tennis elbow, rotator cuff tear, patellar tendon tear, plantar fasciitis). There are also many mid level studies (level 2 evidence) showing it to be effective for mild-moderate osteoarthritis of the knee, hip and shoulder.

Because PRP is derived from your own blood, there is no chance of having an allergic or immune reaction. In fact, side effects from PRP injection are extremely rare. The main risks include local infection at the site of injection (1% risk) and pain at the injection site.

What Should I Expect From a PRP Treatment?

PRP is a safe, non-surgical procedure that stimulates healing and treats acute and chronic pain. Although recovery times can vary, patients generally begin to see improvement in pain and mobility within 4 to 6 weeks. Improvement will continue for up to 12 months. The cost of a PRP treatment varies based on your specific treatment needs.

Additional Information

The Process

Platelet rich plasma (PRP) therapy utilizes platelets taken from the patient’s own blood to rebuild damaged tendons or cartilage.

Platelets

Platelets normally circulate within the blood stream and are responsible for blood clotting and initiating a healing response in an acute injury. Many acute injuries do not heal adequately and can lead to chronic pain and loss of function of the injured area. Platelet rich plasma (PRP) therapy allows us to harvest the patient’s own platelets and re-inject those platelets into the site of the injury to initiate healing and improvement of function. This is typically done under image guidance such as ultrasound and/or fluoroscopy.

The Result

As a result, the damaged tissue begins to heal. PRP has been successful in not only relieving pain, but also in jump-starting the healing process.