PRP Injections – What are They & How Can They Help?

Platelets, which are found in your blood, help to form clots when injured. Platelets are also known for their growth factors that help to heal injuries. Platelet rich plasma is made from your own blood that is spun down in a device known as a centrifuge. To begin this process, your medical provider will draw blood as if you were undergoing a routine blood test. This vial of blood will be placed within a centrifuge, which will spin the sample quickly until the blood separates into various components. Notably, the red blood cells will be separated from the platelets and plasma. This platelet rich plasma can then be injected into a damaged tendon or joint as a nonsurgical treatment.

Shoulder PRP injections can help treat:
– Shoulder impingement.
– Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow.
– Torn rotator cuff treatment.
– Help heal damage and tears to the soft tissues that are the result of a rotator cuff injury or tear.
– Bicep tendonitis and bicep tendonosis.
– Shoulder arthritis
– Osteoarthritis.

Promoting cell regeneration in the knees, PRP injections are often an effective treatment for:
– Knee osteoarthritis
– Cartilage defects
– Help to repair damaged structures of the knee
– Repair soft tissues that have degenerated
– Arthritic joints, and other parts of the knee that have become damaged
– Damaged ACL
– Meniscal injuries.

While all surgeries and medical procedures carry some risk, PRP injections are incredibly effective and safe in the majority of treatments. Because PRP is made from your own blood, there is less of a possibility that your body will reject or react poorly to the injection of platelet rich plasma. In addition to being a useful tool that may help avoid unnecessary surgery, PRP therapy can also be administered after an orthopedic surgery to promote healing and reduce any painful symptoms you may have.