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Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is gaining popularity due to its wide range of uses from healing a wound to lowering pain and inflammation from osteoarthritis. Another great use for PRP therapy is to help treat injuries – especially injuries that are sports-related like muscle tears.
PRP injections have 5-10 times the growth concentration than your blood does regularly, which gives it amazing healing properties.
Don Enty, MD, and the rest of our team at Genesis Pain & Regenerative Medicine review how PRP therapy works and what it can be used for.
How PRP therapy works
PRP therapy injections are made up of two components: plasma and platelets. Plasma is the liquid portion of your blood while platelets are a type of red blood cell that’s vital for your body’s healing process. So, PRP injections carry a more concentrated amount of platelets.
To make a PRP injection, we take a blood sample from you and place it in a device called a centrifuge to separate the platelets from the plasma. We then create the injection made from your concentrated platelets and plasma and insert the PRP in the site that’s injured. This stimulates new tissue regeneration and healing. Because PRP injections have such a high concentration of growth factors, they accelerate the healing process.
Uses for PRP therapy
PRP therapy has a wide range of things it can be used for, especially when it comes to injuries that require healing properties. PRP injections can treat any of the following:
- Ligament injuries (torn ACL, MCL, LCL)
- Tendon injuries (jumper’s knee, Achilles tendinitis)
- Muscle injuries (pulled hamstring)
These types of injuries typically have a long recovery time, but PRP injections can help to speed up the healing process, relieve pain, and also help you get back to your activities in a shorter time.
Is PRP therapy right for you?
If you’ve suffered any type of musculoskeletal injury, PRP therapy is a great treatment option. Because it’s made up of your tissues, it’s a safe and effective treatment.
Typically, you need a few rounds of injections to see optimal results. However, if your injury or pain ends up being chronic, you may need injections long-term.
The bottom linePRP therapy injections are so popular because they speed up the healing process for injuries that would otherwise have a very long and slow recovery time. The plasma and concentrated amount of platelets from your body offer optimal healing properties.
If you’d like to learn more about this medical treatment for injuries, contact our Genesis Pain & Regenerative Medicine office located in Colleyville, Texas, by giving us a call or by using our online scheduler today.