Things You Should Know About Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy

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If you're one of the unlucky persons to have suffered an Achilles or knee injury or any other body part injury that involves movement, you are aware of what a long and drawn-out recovery process you experience due to tremendous pain and, in some cases, surgery. You endure pain that is so devastating that you pray for your condition to end right now. Platelet rich plasma therapy treatment can do that by manipulating your body's own restorative abilities by a process referred to as PRP.

About Platelet Rich Plasma

Platelets are rich in growth factors, and they are necessary to repair injured tissues. So growth factors within your platelets thus stimulate tissue recovery. This recovery tissue process increases collagen production, which heightens tendon stem cell growth and tenocyte-related protein and gene expression. Growth factors also stimulate blood flow, which causes cartilage to gain resiliency and firmness. PRP in turn activates tenocytes to multiply rapidly and produce necessary collagen to repair your injured ligaments, cartilage, tendons, and muscles.

What Happens While You Undergo PRP

The PRP procedure itself lasts for approximately 20 minutes, during which time there is a collection of 30 milliliters of your blood. Your collected blood content is then placed in a centrifuge in order to separate the platelet-rich plasma from other whole blood ingredients. Your therapist physician then injects the collected platelets directly into your injury site by way of accurate ultrasound guidance.

Results Of Performed PRP Studies

Research studies point to increased chondrocyte growth within PRP. One study confirmed that PRP does contain a pain relief effect when the function of analgesic cell receptors are increased. There are also benefits confirming that PRP promotes meniscus cell growth.

PRP Osteoarthritis Benefit

There is a consensus of opinion that PRP injections are in fact valid options for treating osteoarthritis. The concept is that growth factors are definitely important in the tissue healing process. In fact, PRP injections provide high concentrations of your body's own growth factors to the damaged body area. No major indication of adverse reactions are reported other than expected swelling. Scientists are reportedly studying other PRP aspects to maximize benefits from their studies for your treatment benefit.

Are There Risk Factors?

Your own blood is used for PRP therapy. So there is very little risk that the treatment is a risk for any kind of rejection by your body. In fact, there is no large-scale feedback that adverse reaction is prevalent when you choose to undergo this new therapy. It's really a very simple drawing of your own blood, and then your doctor performs the injection procedure.


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