What Age-Related Issues Can PRP Treat?
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a revolutionary treatment for many issues, including age-related joint pain and injuries. Read on to learn what other issues PRP can treat as you age.
How PRP Therapy Can Treat Your Injury and Help You Heal Quickly
When you find yourself down-and-out after an injury, it’s hard to know when you’ll be back on your feet. Depending on the severity of your injury, you could be sidelined for weeks to months. When you need to get quick relief and back into the daily grind, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy can help.
At Alpha Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, our team helps you get the treatment you need when you find yourself with an injury. Our team is made up of five expertly trained orthopedic surgeons who offer a variety of treatments, including regenerative medicine, to help you heal quickly.
Understanding PRP therapy
PRP therapy is a type of regenerative medicine treatment. This form of treatment uses cells from your own body to jump-start the body’s healing processes. It’s a minimally invasive way to allow your body to heal without having to undergo surgery.
Our team uses your own blood to get the platelets and plasma for this treatment. Your blood is drawn from your arm, and it’s then taken and spun down in a centrifuge. The centrifuge spins your blood down, allowing the other cells to separate from the platelets and plasma portion.
The platelets are collected along with the plasma and injected into the area where you’re injured or having pain. This works well, because platelets are not only used as part of the clotting cascade, but they also contain very useful growth factors that accelerate your body’s healing abilities.
There’s no preparation for your PRP injection. You come into the office, and it can all be done the same day. The whole appointment is relatively quick, and you can go about your normal activities afterward. It’s minimally invasive, only requiring a needle stick for your blood and the injection as well.
How long does it take to work?
The amount of time it takes for you to see results after your PRP injection varies greatly depending on your injury or condition. Because PRP therapy uses your own cells to accelerate your healing response, it does take a little time to work.
However, with PRP therapy you’re actually healing your tissues with your own body, instead of covering up the problem with medications and other treatments. For this reason, it’s worth the wait.
In most cases, you’ll likely feel relief within the first few days after a PRP injection. It may be anywhere from 2-6 weeks until you see the full results of this treatment. However, once you see the results, you’ll be back on your feet in no time.
Conditions PRP can help
PRP therapy is actually used for a number of different injuries and conditions. In fact, it’s also sometimes used after you’ve had surgery to help your body heal from the procedure quicker and more efficiently. Whether you’re an athlete who’s suffered a sports injury, or just took a spill outside, PRP can help.
Our team uses PRP therapy for a number of orthopedic problems and injuries. Whether you’ve had a recent injury, or you’re dealing with a more chronic problem, PRP therapy has the ability to help. Some of the conditions that our orthopedic specialists use PRP therapy for include:
- Meniscal injuries
- Rotator cuff tears
- ACL tears
- Hip injuries
- Elbow injuries
- Osteoarthritis
- Ankle injuries
PRP therapy has the ability to help your body heal over time, without using harmful medications or undergoing painful surgery. It accelerates your body’s own healing processes, making it a safe and efficient option when you need to get back to your daily activities.
If you’d like to learn more about PRP therapy, call our team at Alpha Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at one of our three locations in McKinney, Prosper, and Sherman, Texas, to schedule an appointment. You can also book a consultation today with us online too.
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