What’s in a PRP Shot?
Plasma is the liquid part of your blood that’s mostly made of water and protein. It lets red and white blood cells and platelets move through your bloodstream. Platelets are a type of blood cell that makes your blood clot. They also play a role in healing.
Doctors may use platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on injuries or damage to tendons, ligaments, muscles, joints, and skin
The Process
- The procedure itself takes about 30 minutes, and most people can resume their normal activities immediately afterward.
- To collect plasma, a doctor draws blood from your body and uses a machine to separate the platelet-rich plasma from the rest of the blood. Then the doctor numbs the area of your body being treated with PRP injections. Once you’re numb, the doctor uses a needle to inject your plasma into the area of your body being treated
What Conditions Does PRP Treat?
Theoretically, PRP promotes functional movement and generating tissue health, and can be an alternative to surgical approaches.
Sports Injuries
Whether you rolled an ankle playing basketball or took a bad tackle to the knee, a PRP injection can work wonders for your joints and ligaments. Joints in particular are known for taking a while to heal. There is generally less blood flow to the nooks and crannies of your joints, which slows healing.
By injecting PRP into the joint, we can promote the healing of individual ligaments and generally improve the range of motion and comfort of the entire joint.
Damaged Muscles
If you’ve had a partial or even complete muscle tear, PRP therapy can reduce your recovery time and even promote stronger muscle fibers as the injury heals. Whether you were hurt lifting weights or from a hyperextension playing sports, your outcome can be vastly improved with PRP.
Arthritis
Recent studies have boldly claimed that PRP should be the first line of defense against arthritis of all types. Osteoarthritis, the most common form, has reained troublesome to treat. There is no cure for arthritis, and most treatments are palliative in nature.
This is due to PRP’s ability to trigger the production of new cells. Your body will replace aging cells with new ones, literally restoring the area to a better condition. While consistent treatment is recommended for arthritis, patients report improvement with each session.
Tendonitis
Damaged tendons can be difficult to treat due to their hypovascular nature. This means they don’t get very much blood flow. The typical advice is to simply rest, but for some people that just isn’t an option.
You can’t get PRP injections if you have:
You should only get PRP injections from a licensed doctor.