Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy
Today more than ever, orthopedic patients like you are turning to regenerative medicine instead of surgery. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is one of those increasingly popular nonsurgical approaches.
PRP therapy is a safe and effective method of stimulating the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Advances in medical science allow physicians to treat many types of injuries and disorders, including orthopedic conditions, with PRP therapy. This treatment uses specific components from a patient’s own blood to stimulate a healing response in damaged tissues – without surgery.
At Advanced Sports Medicine Center in Sarasota, Florida, we are proud to offer our patients PRP therapy. This relatively simple, in-office injection process may be performed to repair and regenerate damaged tissue in order to lessen many common orthopedic conditions that cause knee pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, back pain, and more.
PRP: the Nonsurgical Option of Choice for Orthopedic Injuries
PRP therapy helps the body heal itself by delivering a higher concentration of platelets directly into the affected area. Platelets are the elements within your blood containing growth factors that trigger and enhance the body’s natural healing process.
Here’s how it works: A sample of your blood is drawn and then spun in a centrifuge at high speeds to separate the platelets from other blood cells (red and white) and plasma. Next, the increased concentration of platelets is combined with the remaining plasma and injected back into the precise area of your body in need of repair.
The process is safe and effective. And, since your own blood is used, you don’t have the risk of infection or immune system reaction that you might if using donated product.
PRP therapy has been used to effectively treat a wide range of orthopedic conditions, including:
- Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears
- Back and neck injuries
- Chronic knee pain
- Osteoarthritis of the knee, shoulder, hip, and spine
- Pelvic pain and instability
- Rotator cuff (shoulder) injuries
- Sprains and strains
- Tendonitis and ligament sprains
- Tennis elbow
The goal of PRP therapy is to resolve your pain through healing. Because natural healing is a gradual process, patients may see initial improvement within a few weeks and greater improvement as the healing progresses.
Studies have shown that PRP therapy can be effective in enabling patients to regain normal, pain-free function in the long term. Likewise, ultrasound and MRI images have confirmed definitive tissue repair following PRP therapy.
PRP therapy can also greatly reduce the need for surgery by treating injured tissues before the damage worsens and a condition becomes irreversible.
Is PRP Therapy Right for You?
If you experience a tendon or ligament injury that is not responding to conservative treatment methods, PRP therapy may provide a solution without the need for invasive and expensive surgery. There is minimal or no scarring with PRP therapy, minimal (if any) side effects, and no downtime. The relatively painless procedure is performed right in the doctor’s office and only takes about one hour to complete, including preparation and recovery time. As a matter of fact, most patients return to their normal activities immediately following the procedure.
Why not find out if PRP therapy can help you? Schedule your consultation with orthopedic surgeon Dr. John Moor at Advanced Sports Medicine Center by calling our office in Sarasota, Florida, at (941) 957-1500 or simply request an appointment now.
