Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy, or PRP, is a treatment option for poor healing ligament, tendon and cartilage injuries such as rotator cuff injuries of the shoulder, tennis elbow, achilles tendonitis, knee tendoniis and joint pain from arthritis and cartilage damage.
PRP technology was initially developed 20 years ago for heart surgery to aide with wound healing and blood loss. Its benefits are now being applied towards the facilitation of healing tendon injuries. The popularity of PRP grew from its promise as a safe and natural alternative to surgery. In fact, PRP has been widely used for years in Europe to treat various tendon injuries.
How does a PRP procedure work?
Using the patient’s own blood, specially prepared platelets are taken and then re-injected into the tendon of the affected area. These platelets release substances known as “growth factors” that lead to tissue healing. For example, when you cut yourself, the body’s natural response is to attract platelets that release growth factors and facilitate the healing.
By concentrating the platelets we increase the growth factors up to eight times which promotes the healing of tendons. While other tendon injury treatments such as corticosteroid injections may provide temporary relief and stop inflammation, PRP injections actually heal the tendon over a period of time.
The human body has a remarkable ability to heal itself and by re-injecting concentrated
platelets we are facilitating the natural healing process.
An excellent resource for this therapy is Dr. Steve Sampson’s Website www.orthohealing.com. Dr. Spooner has taken Dr. Sampson’s training courses and utilizes the same techniques for PRP. Extensive Resarch on PRP can be found here