Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is a new therapeutic procedure in Musculoskeletal (MSK) Medicine. It is used to treat acute and chronic soft tissue injuries, involving cartilage, tendons, muscles, ligaments, and bones.
Advanced Regenerative Treatment
PRP is part of a new field of medicine called ‘regenerative medicine’. It exploits the body’s natural healing powers in a focused, concentrated way.
How does it work?
PRP involves collecting blood from the arm, separating the platelets via centrifuge and injecting them back into the injured tissue area.
Probus Surgical Centre (PSC) uses the Arthrex ACP System, an advanced system introduced to ensure that the PRP obtained has the highest and purest platelet concentration possible.
We combine this system with the use of ultrasound during the procedure, allowing our Practitioners to examine the injury with a high degree of accuracy. This allows us to administer the highest possible levels of PRP with complete precision.
PRP for Soft Tissue Repair and Osteoarthritis
PRP treatment involves harnessing and amplifying the body’s ability to heal itself. It’s a biological treatment that uses concentrated platelets from your blood to promote the healing of damaged tissues.
PRP contains concentrated levels of platelet growth factors, which stimulate tissue repair.
Because we use ultrasound to ensure precise, guided injections, our PRP injections deliver high concentrations of these platelet growth factors directly to injured tissues.
Once introduced to the injured tissue, various growth factors promote fast and effective healing of the damaged tissue to:
- Switch off chronic inflammation
- Increase the levels of collagen (type I and III)
- Form new blood vessels to promote the delivery of nutrients to the injured tissue
- Stimulate the cell to repair the damaged tissue
- Stimulate the cell to wake up and be more resilient
- Recruit the body’s natural healing cells (fibroblasts and chondrocytes)
Cases that can benefit from PRP Injections
At PSC Musculoskeletal Medicine, we use PRP injections to effectively treat various tendon, muscle, ligament, and bone injuries and conditions, including but not limited to:
PRP injection for partial ACL tears
ACL tears are some of the most common knee injuries in individuals involved in demanding physical activities. This injury can have a slow recovery time.
PRP injections into the ACL injured knee speeds up recovery to help get back to activity faster.
It can be used in combination with a custom knee brace, which protects the ACL and reduces stress on the injury to promote faster healing.
In case of a complete tear, PRP can be injected after surgical repair to aid healing.
RP injection for shoulder pain/ rotator cuff injuries
PRP can help individuals with pain in their shoulders due to rotator cuff tears or bursitis. PRP decreases the pain caused by inflammation of the bursa.
In the case of rotator cuff tears, PRP injections promote faster healing, eliminating the need for invasive procedures.
PRP injection for knee-related issues
PRP significantly benefits patients suffering from knee pain and inflammation due to ligament tears, osteoarthritis, cartilage lesions, bursitis, or other knee-related issues.
The growth factors in PRP help in the repair of damaged knee tissues, including cartilages and ligaments.
With follow-up treatments, PRP offers long-term results for most knee-related issues.
PRP injection for ankle-related issues
Ankle pain caused by sprains, tendon and ligament tears, inflammation due to plantar fasciitis, and other issues can limit movement.
Ankle injuries take a long time to heal, which keeps athletes and other active individuals from doing what they love most.
PRP injections help treat ankle-related issues at an augmented rate by introducing growth factors that promote the repair of the affected tissue.
PRP therapy for meniscus tears
The meniscus in our knee (lateral and medial) can tear due to injuries or degeneration due to overuse. This leads to inflammation, pain, and limited flexibility of the knee joint.
Degenerative tears, flap tears, and radial tears of the meniscus can be treated using PRP injections, to enhance healing and promote the formation of healthier and stronger meniscus tissue.
PRP for Patellar Tendinopathy treatment
Patellar Tendinopathy or Jumper’s Knee is an injury to the tendon connecting the kneecap to the shin bone, common in active individuals whose activities require a lot of jumping.
PRP injections to injured patellar tendons promote the formation of new healthy tissue, which repairs tendon damage.
PRP for Osteoarthritis
Over time, Osteoarthritis (OA) or Arthritis occurs when the protective cartilage on the ends of your bones wears down. OA can occur in any joint in your body but is primarily diagnosed in the knees, hips, hands, and spine.
Symptoms of OA first present following joint movement, with the joint becoming stiff and tender with pressure. The patient continues to lose flexibility in the joint while experiencing a sensation of grating. This is then followed by a permanent deformity when the formation of bone spurs occurs.
Before resorting to surgery, it is both safe and effective to use PRP injections to treat Osteoarthritis. PRP in OA works by injecting growth factors from your blood into the damaged area, promoting new tissue growth and repair. In this way, PRP helps to reverse existing tissue damage and to relieve the pain and stiffness of OA.
To help, it is smart to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle and lose weight. Fortunately, our team is here to help and make this journey easier for clients. We may recommend other modalities of treatment including bracing, pain medications, and movement exercises.
PRP Injections Frequently Asked Questions
Can PRP injection help you return to sports?
Yes, PRP treatment injections can help athletes return to their favourite sport. It does this by stimulating the production of new healthy tissue to repair the damaged part. Whether it’s a new, old, or recurring injury, PRP injections can help repair the damaged tissue at an augmented rate, allowing you to get back to your sport faster.
How many PRP injections are needed for the knee?
The number of PRP injections required for knee injuries depends on several factors. The severity and location of the knee injury are some of the main factors determining the injections required to attain fast and complete tissue healing.
Other factors, such as age and platelet concentration in your PRP solution, also determine the number of PRP injections you’ll need. Cornwall Medical Group (CMG) uses the Arthrex ACP System, an advanced system introduced to ensure that the PRP obtained has the highest and purest platelet concentration possible.
How fast does PRP work?
PRP injection helps in the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries by promoting faster healing of the injured tissue. The time taken for injuries to heal varies depending on the extent and location of the injury.
However, most patients begin to experience significant pain relief after three to four weeks. The injury continues to improve and heal over the next few months. Compared to some treatment options, PRP is fast, non-invasive, and provides long-term results.
Does PRP work for everyone?
Constituents of PRP injections. Although the concentration of platelets per volume may vary between persons, the PRP extracted works as required. The time taken to heal injuries varies between persons due to differences in their system response and the extent of injuries.
How long does the pain last after a PRP shot?
After a PRP injection, especially to soft tissues, it’s normal to experience varying pain on the injection site, which subsides within two to three days. The treated area may also become sore and stiff for a couple of days.
What are the risks of PRP Injections?
There is no risk for transmission of blood-borne disease or transfusion reactions because the process uses the patient’s own blood. With this said, there may be a risk of infection or bleeding.
What can I expect to happen during my PRP treatment?
The procedures (including blood collection, centrifuging, injection and rest) can take upwards of two hours. Patients must eat a meal and drink lots of water before the procedure. Depending on the body part being injected, patients may not be able to drive themselves home following the procedure. We will advise you on this before your appointment.
Moreover, growth factors from the platelets can take between two hours and seven days to be released after the injection. After PRP, patients will be asked to rest for 48 hours and to restrict their activity level for one week, while the healing process is underway.
PATIENTS SHOULD NOT USE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY MEDICATIONS INCLUDING ASPIRIN FOR TWO WEEKS BEFORE AND FOUR WEEKS AFTER PRP. Anti-inflammatory medications negatively affect the benefit of concentrated platelets and can make PRP ineffective.
If you regularly use anti-inflammatory medicines eg Asprin, Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, or Naproxen, discuss this with your doctor before your treatment.
Paracetamol and ice packs applied to the area may be used after PRP if the patient has any residual discomfort.
Signs of infection after the procedure include:
- Increasing pain
- Heat
- Redness
- Pus
- Nausea
- Fever
- General malaise
If there are any signs of infection, contact the Probus Surgical Centre (in hours) or 111 out of hours.
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For more information, questions or queries, please email us or call 01872 392087.
