Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is a type of biologic therapy that is derived from blood. It falls into a category of therapies that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calls biologics. Biologics can be composed of sugars, proteins, or nucleic acids or complex combinations of these substances, or may be living entities such as cells and tissues.[1]
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is created by drawing your own blood and placing it in a centrifuge that separates the blood into its different parts: The plasma component is the less dense part of the blood. The platelet component of the blood is some of the first cells that are found after tissue injury.[2] By injecting these components into the area of injury, your body’s own repair mechanism is stimulated to heal the area injured.
There are many conditions that can be treated with PRP. The most common are joint arthritis and tendonitis. At Specialty Pain Care, we use PRP for mild to moderate osteoarthritis in the knee when conservative and conventional therapies like medications, physical therapy, acupuncture, and steroid injections have failed. All of our injections are done under imaging guidance.
Request an appointment on my contact page and see how the Platelet-Rich Plasma treatments can help you with your pain.