What Can it Treat?
Shoulder, Elbow, Knee, Hip and Ankle Injuries of tendons, cartilage, ligaments as well as osteoarthritis of most joints can be treated by an experienced orthopedic surgeon.
What is it?
Your blood has red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, plasma, clotting factors and over 1000 different types of cytokines and hormones. Platelet Rich Plasma(PRP) is harvested from your own venous blood. It is a concentration of your own platelets in a small amount of the fluid portion of your blood(plasma).
How is it administered?
It can be an office procedure that includes a blood draw, centrifugation of your blood and then an injection into the affected site. This can be done with a Musculoskeletal Ultrasound that helps visualize tears in tendons.
It also can be used in conjunction with various surgical procedures to accelerate healing and allow healing in situations that would have tenuous healing parameters.
How does it work?
Platelets stimulate a healing process in injured tissue by releasing growth factors or cytokines that are messages that direct the healing of tissue injuries and mediate the environment. It stimulates virtually every cell it comes into contact with to perform its function and replicate. That could be stimulating tendon cells to secrete collagen and stimulate tendon cell proliferation, or it could stimulate synovial cells to secrete the lubricating fluid in your joint called hyaluronic acid.
How many injections?
It varies based on the injury.
Does it hurt?
Local anesthetics are used when indicated.
How long does it last?
We have at least an 18 months longevity history in over 93 percent of patients.
Is there a failure rate?
Yes, about 7 percent.
