If you have been going through several treatments over the past years, PRP may not be new. With this therapy, medical experts use concentration injections to employ a patient’s platelets to heal injured muscles, joints, and tendons. In this manner, PRP injections enable patients to manage their recovery through their system, improving their musculoskeletal issues.
But other than these facts, what are the things that you should know about PRP? What are the side effects that you may encounter? Or how to recover after the treatment? Let’s check out more details about PRP injectables and their areas you can treat below.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)
Over the years, physicians discovered that our own body has the power to heal itself. With many studies covered, platelet-rich plasma is one of those therapies that can help individuals treat themselves using their platelets. PRP is a form of developmental medicine that can control and amplify natural growth factors’ ability to heal the body’s tissue.
Before jumping into the central part, let’s first break down what plasma and platelets are all about in this topic. Do they differ in some way? Or do they function the same?
Plasma & Platelets
Plasma is a liquid part of a person’s whole blood. It mainly contains proteins and water, and it gives a medium for white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets to move around the body. On the other hand, Platelets, also known as thrombocytes, are the blood cells that cause blood clots and other growth healing functions in case of injury.
So, when talking about these two, they certainly differ in responsibilities and functions in the body. Plasma’s role is to carry and circulate the blood cells and platelets properly. In contrast, Platelets are responsible for growth healing factors.
Now that you know it, you may ask how the PRP treatments work together with Plasma and Platelets in helping you treat your body? Let’s find more answers down below.
PRP Injections
As stated above, PRP utilizes a person’s own platelet to speed up the healing process of any injured muscle, joints, ligaments, and tendon. Through this phase, any patient could improve their musculoskeletal problems without having added concerns at all.
The process of PRP injections starts by taking anywhere from one to few tubes of your blood and managing it through a separator to concentrate the platelets. Now, these activated platelets are injected directly into your damaged body tissue. This method now delivers growth factors that increase and stimulate the number of vital cells that your body generates.
There are instances that ultrasound imaging is used to guide the injection for better sight during the treatment. It is necessary to have an ultrasound for PRP. Still, with these given, your physician will accomplish the procedure in a fast and easy way.
Areas that PRP Can Treat
In general, PRP can treat areas with problems with tendinitis, muscle injuries, arthritis-related pain, joint tendons, and torn tendons. But aside from these, there are also other purposes that PRP injections are beneficial. Here are some of those:
- Post-surgical Repair – At some point, physicians use PRP injections after any surgical operations to repair a torn tendon. This part usually comes in fixing the rotator cuff tendon in the shoulder or ligaments.
- Hair Loss – It may seem unbelievable, but doctors have injected PRP into a patient’s scalps to promote hair growth and avoid hair loss. Studies by researchTrusted stated that PRP injections are good in treating male pattern baldness.
- Osteoarthritis – It’s the primary muscle and joints that PRP can heal and those areas within the knee. Eventually, PRP injections help people with osteoarthritis, as stated by a study trusted Source in 2015. Results showed that this treatment is far more effective than any traditional remedy for curing osteoarthritis.
- Acute Injuries – PRP injections have been effective in treating acute sports injuries to athletes. Such problems include pulled hamstring muscle or knee sprain injuries.
Benefits
Platelet-rich plasma has been proven to effectively enhance the healing process of patients with injuries in their muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints. Specifically, you can treat Achilles tendon ruptures, shoulder pain caused by rotator cuff tears, and other soft-tissue injuries that are usually common.
The treatment lessened the pain in people with chronic tendonitis conditions. One advantage of PRP injections is that they can also reduce the needed anti-inflammatories or intense medications like opioids.
Alternatively, PRP injection side effects are strictly limited since the injections are created from your blood. Therefore, your body will not react nor reject it negatively with the whole process. Another thing, finding a good physician and healthcare provider will enable you to have comfortable therapy without worrying too much about taking Platelet rich plasma.
It would still be best to have a reliable and trustworthy provider on your side to guide you on your journey before and after the method.
Recovering From PRP Injections
After the treatment, your doctor may recommend you have some rest, especially in the treated area. Thus, such recommendations are still more related to the injury and more minor than PRP injections or the procedure. Some people can continue their regular activities, while some may not.
Take note that PRP injections promote growth or healing of any injured area in your body, so you may not notice the difference quickly. But after a few weeks or months, the site may start to heal faster and grow more hair than you would expect it. Other than that, there’s nothing much to expect in PRP injections.
Of course, the treatment is guaranteed safe, as long as you follow your doctor’s instructions and have the proper medications if possible. Don’t think twice to start healing and repairing yourself if you need to undergo PRP treatment now.
Call and visit your doctor and set an appointment for a PRP medication as much as possible. Follow any safety protocol on or before the procedure so that your PRP treatment will surely be successful in the end. Of course, nobody wants to have issues right after the therapy.
Get that tissues working back again on your system and enjoy a happy lifestyle!
