Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy has become wildly popular among people seeking holistic wellness and healing. PRP therapy is a noninvasive, nonsurgical treatment that uses your body’s own blood plasma to generate healing. While PRP has been around for a few decades, it was previously reserved for elite athletes seeking state-of-the-art recovery options. However, PRP is now available to all appropriate candidates seeking a natural way to heal musculoskeletal injuries. In fact, both “fresh” and old injuries can benefit from PRP. This treatment stimulates blood flow to the injured area to awaken the body’s natural healing mechanisms.
During a PRP treatment, blood is drawn from the patient. Next, the blood is placed in a centrifuge to separate red blood cells. This ensures that only a high concentration of platelet-rich plasma derived from whole blood remains. The PRP is then injected at the site of a patient’s injury. Due to the fact that your own blood is being used for this procedure, the risks for rejection, infection, and complications are essentially nonexistent.
PRP therapy is currently being used to treat a wide variety of injuries all over the world. However, PRP therapy is considered a true powerhouse treatment for some very specific injuries. Could PRP therapy be the solution to help you get over your pain and reduced range of motion? Take a look at five injuries that respond beautifully to PRP treatments.
1. Ligament and Muscle Injuries
One of the reasons why PRP is such a popular treatment among top-tier athletes is that this therapy can help to treat acute sports injuries. As any active person knows, the muscles and ligaments are especially vulnerable to sport-related injuries. PRP is commonly used in the sports world to speed up healing following knee sprains, pulled hamstrings, pulled thigh muscles, and much more. According to a 2021 study on platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in sports injuries, PRP injections were shown to have optimal effects on sports injuries that were not responding to conservative management.
2. Post-Surgical Complications
While PRP therapy is often used as an alternative to surgery, it can also help patients to heal following surgery. In fact, PRP therapy is increasingly being used to help tissue to heal following surgery due to it’s blend of short-term and long-term benefits. PRP’s therapy’s healing effects have been known for a long time. A 2018 study found that PRP-treated wounds showed both macroscopically and microscopically faster healing than control groups. PRP therapy is useful for wound healing because it brings a higher concentration of platelets to the wound site to encourage coagulation while also fighting infection. On a long-term basis, PRP therapy helps to stimulate blood flow to the surgical site to encourage tissue healing. Many care providers recommend PRP therapy to help speed up post-surgical healing.
3. Knee Arthritis
“Application of PRP with absolute counts of 10 billion platelets in a volume of 8 ml provides significant potential chondro-protection and alleviates symptoms compared to control in knee OA (osteoarthritis),” according to a study published in 2021. What’s more, results can last for several years for some patients. Many people suffering from knee arthritis are finding that PRP therapy helps to alleviate the pain, stiffness, inflammation, and loss of mobility associated with this condition.
4. Chronic Tendon Injuries
Both athletes and non-athletic people commonly suffer from tendon injuries. The list of common chronic tendon injuries includes tendonitis, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, and jumper’s knee. For years, surgery was the only source of relief recommended to people suffering from the debilitating pain associated with tendon injuries. That has changed now that PRP therapy is a mainstream treatment.
“Basic science studies have consistently shown the beneficial effects of PRP on tendons including increased tendon cell proliferation, increased expression of anabolic genes and proteins, and reduced tendon inflammation,” according to a 2016 review on PRP treatment efficacy for tendinopathy. A different study looking specifically at the
efficacy of platelet-rich plasma for chronic tennis elbow found that PRP-treated patients reported significant improvements in pain scores compared to control groups.
5. Back Pain
PRP therapy has been recommended as a safe and effective treatment for back pain for years based on clinical data. PRP therapy is an attractive treatment option for people suffering from chronic back pain because it can help them to get relief without struggling with the cost, recovery time, and poor outcomes associated with back surgery. One of the benefits of PRP therapy over other options is that specific areas of pain can be targeted without subjecting multiple areas of the back to invasive interventions. In addition, PRP works nicely with manual adjustments, physical therapy, and at-home exercises that help to relieve tension and blockages that may be slowing down healing.
Getting PRP Therapy in Louisville, Colorado
Are you looking for a wellness clinic offering PRP therapy near Boulder, Colorado? ThriveMD is proud to offer this cutting-edge treatment option to our patients at our top-tier clinic in Louisville, Colorado. Our team specializes in regenerative medicine because we believe that the body can be its own best healer when the conditions are right. We firmly believe in the benefits of PRP therapy for musculoskeletal pain because we’ve seen how this FDA-approved, science-backed treatment has helped so many of our clients get relief. However, we know you probably have many questions about how this therapy can fit into your plan for healing and wellness. That’s why we’re happy to book a consultation with you. Don’t let an injury stop you from living the active life you deserve. Call (720) 534-2333 or book a consultation.
