You know that your body can heal itself in many ways from cut skin to broken bones. But there are also many conditions that exceed your body’s ability to repair the damage. In these cases, traditional medicine seeks to relieve symptoms and manage progression, but regenerative medicine takes it a step further and helps the body regenerate and restore itself.

Regenerative medicine is an emerging field that encompasses a wide range of therapies. One of the most effective and proven innovative treatments under the regenerative medicine umbrella — platelet-rich plasma (PRP) — has been proven particularly effective in orthopedic injuries and diseases. 

At Elite Physical Medicine in Mason, Ohio, Lawrenceburg, Indiana, Hebron, Kentucky, and Batesville, Indiana, our team of experienced physicians offers PRP to our patients suffering from sports injuries, arthritis, and other musculoskeletal damage and pain. Here’s what you need to know.

Demystifying PRP

Platelet-rich plasma may sound like a complicated science experiment, but it’s actually quite simple.

We draw a small sample of blood from your arm, just like any normal blood test. Then we process it in a centrifuge, which spins it at a high speed and separates your blood into its different components. We isolate the plasma (the liquid part of your blood), which contains growth factors and proteins essential for blood clotting and healing.

Finally, we inject this concentrated serum into your injured or diseased tissue, where it goes to work stimulating your body’s natural ability to produce reparative cells that regenerate the tissue much faster and more completely than it would on its own.

5 Benefits of PRP therapy

Whether you have a torn ligament, knee osteoarthritis, or plantar fasciitis, your main goal is probably to stop the pain so you can get back to an active life. But masking the pain with drugs is only a temporary fix, and surgery is the last thing you want. PRP addresses the root of the problem, repairing the damage quickly so the pain goes away for good. Here are the advantages of PRP:

1. Reduces healing time

Waiting for your injury to heal is like watching paint dry — the process is long and it’s hard to see progress. PRP is like a fast-forward button for the healing process. It kicks your body’s natural resources into high gear and significantly reduces the time it takes to reach full recovery.

2. Reduces inflammation

When you experience an acute injury, your immune system floods the area with blood to deliver oxygen and other healing properties to the site. But when inflammation sticks around, it hinders healing and worsens pain. That’s why so much emphasis is placed on getting rid of swelling during rehab — elevation, ice, compression, rest, and anti-inflammatory drugs. 

But PRP takes care of the problem from the inside out, suppressing inflammatory agents so your tendons, muscles, ligaments, and joints can heal in peace.

3. Minimally invasive

Sometimes surgery is the best and only solution for a particular injury or disease, but let’s face it, we’d all like to avoid going under the knife if at all possible. PRP makes it possible (in many cases).

The only invasion is a needle stick to withdraw a blood sample, and another one to inject the plasma. There’s no downtime involved and no surgical incision to deal with. 

4. Low risk

PRP uses your own blood, so there is virtually no risk of an allergic or adverse reaction, and there are no side effects. Although there is a minuscule chance of infection at the injection site, it’s very rare, especially when compared to surgical procedures.

5. Reduces need for medication and surgery

By reducing the amount of time it takes for your tissues to heal, dramatically reducing inflammation and pain, and requiring no incision, PRP can make it possible to avoid drug use completely. 

If you have an acute injury or chronic pain that won’t respond to traditional treatments, schedule a consultation with one of our PRP specialists and find out whether the answer to your pain is in your own blood. Book online or call us today!