PRP

Most tendons and ligaments have a poor blood supply and are often the site of microscopic tears or scarring. Sometimes when we injure a tendon or ligament the healing process does not work correctly and instead of forming healthy collagen fibers, there is significant scar tissue that develops in its place. The development of scar tissue further prohibits proper blood flow to the injured area. This means that the tissue will never really have the opportunity to heal correctly. That is why sometimes ligament and tendon injuries heal and other times they do not. Most often medications are given to treat pain and inflammation, but they don’t treat the underlying problem of scar tissue. When these injuries don’t heal properly, the pain may become chronic. PRP Therapy is the injection of the patient's’ own high concentration of platelets into an injured tendon, ligament or muscle tear. The injection penetrates the scar tissue and brings natural healing cells to an area that is deficient, allowing the body to resume natural healing.

PRP therapy is done in our office and takes about 45 minutes in total. A small amount of the patient’s own blood is taken with a simple blood draw. Using a special centrifuge machine in our on-site dedicated lab, this blood is spun down to separate out and concentrate the platelets and growth factors that are essential for tissue healing. The resulting small amount of fluid with concentrated platelets and growth factors is called platelet rich plasma (PRP). The PRP concentrate is then injected into the injured area.

Yes. Our physicians use ultrasound-guided or fluoroscopy-guided machines to identify the area within the ligament or tendon that is injured. The physician is then able to use a needle to inject the PRP into the injured area and even between tightly packed collagen fibers.

PRP injections can be performed in tendons and ligaments all over the body. Just a few examples are:

• Accelerated recovery rate for certain post-surgical procedures
• Sports injuries
• Symptoms of osteoarthritis
• Arthritic joints
• Lower back, degenerative disc disease
• Tennis elbow
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• ACL tears
• Shin splints
• Rotator cuff tears
• Plantar fasciitis

Each patient is unique, so each patient may respond differently to PRP treatment. Because PRP aims to stimulate the body to heal on its own, to accelerate healing, and to stop damage before it progresses, individual results vary. Equally important to the healing process is our integrated team of physicians and physical therapists who develop a post-procedure protocol for you to assist the healing process and reduce the risk of future injury. PRP therapy may be a viable procedure for patients who are post surgical and experiencing ongoing pain. In some instances, ultrasound and MRI images have shown definitive tissue repair has occurred after PRP therapy.

Because PRP stimulates natural healing, you are not likely to notice immediate results. Some patients may or may not notice an increase in pain in the days following the injection(s). Each day, as the pain lessens, functional mobility, endurance and strength should increase. You should notice gradual improvement in 2-6 weeks, with some patients reporting ongoing improvement in 6-9 months. Not all patients respond to PRP treatment.