Regenerative medicine is defined as the use of natural methods to repair and replace damaged tissues in the body – whether due to injury or disease. In the field of orthopedics, regenerative medicine is often used in combination with other treatments to accelerate the healing of injuries and to tamp down chronic inflammation. One of the most popular types of regenerative medicine is PRP (platelet-rich plasma) therapy.
PRP therapy is a groundbreaking regenerative treatment that harnesses your own blood’s platelets to accelerate the healing and repair of your damaged tissues. Today, it is frequently being used to relieve muscle and joint pain with great success.
How Does the Doctor Get My Platelets?
The physician will extract a sample of your own blood from your arm. The blood will then be spun in a centrifuge so that the doctor can separate out the platelets from the rest of the blood, and the platelet-rich plasma is then collected.
The doctor then injects the PRP solution directly into the point of your injury, such as your knee or elbow. There is little risk of your body rejecting PRP therapy or otherwise reacting negatively to it, since the platelet-rich plasma is composed of your own blood cells.
Platelets are colorless cells which form scabs when you have a cut in your skin. They have a particularly strong healing capability that can heal virtually any issue in your body, so a high concentration of these platelets is used to douse the area of pain or injury and provide natural treatment.
How Does PRP Therapy Relieve Muscle and Joint Pain?
Pain in the muscles or joints is always caused by some type of injury, whether an internal injury (such as arthritis or a muscle strain) or an external injury (such as from sports or a fall). For whatever the cause, the body automatically sends white blood cells, platelets, and plasma to the site of the injury to begin the tissue-repair process.
Growth factors play an important role in cellular and tissue repair and regeneration. Platelet-rich plasma, which is what the physician will introduce into the injured part of your body, releases powerful growth factors that boost your body’s ability to heal. PRP is most widely used to treat knee pain.
How Does PRP Treat Arthritis?
PRP therapy can treat patients who are experiencing joint pain as a result of osteoarthritis. Pain and inflammation are hallmark symptoms of osteoarthritis, and PRP therapy can help bring down the inflammation that causes the pain, swelling, and stiffness by sending healing platelets straight to the source of arthritis.
Osteoarthritis is caused by a degradation of the protective cartilage in a joint, so the bones rub against each other every time you move the joint. PRP injections are believed to slow down the degeneration of the cartilage, stimulate the formation of new cartilage, increase lubrication fluid in the joint, and improve joint function.
Other Conditions PRP Therapy Can Treat
PRP therapy can also be used to treat tendonitis, ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tears in the knee, rotator cuff tears in the shoulder, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, plantar fasciitis in the foot, and Achilles tendon ruptures. PRP therapy is also increasingly being used in cosmetic treatments.
PRP Therapy in Pembroke Pines and Lauderdale Lakes
If you are interested in PRP therapy for muscle and joint pain, have our board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons at Total Orthopaedic Care evaluate your condition and determine what may work best for you. After a thorough evaluation, we will explain your condition and provide options for treatment.
If you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation with one of our orthopedists, contact our friendly staff today by calling us at (954) 735-3535 or complete our appointment request form online now. We look forward to serving you!
