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Platelet Rich Plasma Treatment

What is platelet rich plasma (PRP)?

• Essentially, PRP is plasma with a higher concentration of platelets compared to whole blood. Platelets contain many different growth factors that support the healing process.
• There are many uses of PRP such as dental implantations, surgery and treatment of severe burns.  In musculoskeletal medicine, PRP can accelerate healing of
• tendon tears
• ligament laxity sprains
• joint osteoarthritis
• The use of PRP as an injectant in prolotherapy treatment (refer to prolotherapy section) is now accepted as a superior stimulant compared to dextrose.

How does platelet rich plasma work?

• Platelet rich plasma is developed from patient blood, so is inherently safe and free of transmissible diseases such as HIV and hepatitis.
• Within PRP, the platelets deliver a number of growth factors in their biological ratios compared to recombinant growth factors engineered in laboratory.
• In addition PRP contains cell adhesion molecules, which makes a natural fibrin glue.
• PRP stimulates the formation of tri-dimensional mesh-fibrin strands, creating a framework for healing.
• Other benefits include stem cell proliferation and differentiation, chemoattraction and migration of macrophages and stem cells.
  

The Procedure

• Usually a standard 30 min session is sufficient to carry out the procedure.
• Musculoskeletal ultrasound may be required to determine the site of injection as well as for needle guidance.
• Local anaesthetic in the form of 1% local anaesthetic is injected to the skin to alleviate any unnecessary pain for the actual PRP injection.
• Do not take anti-inflammatory medication for a week after the procedure and reducing your activities for the same period can only aid your healing process.
• The procedure may cause some localized discomfort for up to 48 hours. Paracetemol or Codeine is recommended if you need medication.