By Physicians Rehabilitation
Nonsurgical Option for Musculoskeletal Injuries
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), musculoskeletal injuries are the most common cause of severe long-term pain and physical disability. Soft tissue injuries including tendon and ligament trauma account for 45% of all musculoskeletal injuries in the USA.
For many years, our best option for treating musculoskeletal injuries, sprains and strains was to inject local (numbing) anesthetic and anti-inflammatory steroids into the affected area to reduce swelling and pain. Over time, we have learned that although steroid injections can be helpful and effective, prolonged and repeated use may not be beneficial.
Fortunately for our patients today, advances in science have allowed us to find new and targeted approaches to treating these kinds of injuries. Platelet-rich plasma or PRP is an “autologous blood therapy” that uses a patient’s own blood components to stimulate a healing response in damaged tissues. PRP provides an alternative to surgery by promoting safe and natural healing.
EXPECTED RESULTS OF PRP
Because the goal of PRP therapy is to resolve pain through healing, it could prove to have lasting results.
Initial improvement may be seen within a few weeks, gradually increasing as the healing progresses. Research studies and clinical practice have shown PRP therapy to be very effective at relieving pain and returning patients to their normal lives. Both ultrasound and MRI images have shown definitive tissue repair after PRP therapy, confirming the healing process. The need for surgery can also be greatly reduced by treating injured tissues before the damage progresses and the condition is irreversible.
Q&A
How Does PRP Therapy Work?
To prepare the PRP injection, blood is drawn from the patient and is spun in a centrifuge at a high speed so that it is separated into its four components: red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma. At that point, the Platelet Rich Plasma layer is removed from the bottom layer and prepared for injection. This forms a very “platelet-rich plasma” solution which is then injected into and around the point of injury, jumpstarting and significantly strengthening the body’s natural healing signal. Because your own blood is used, there is no risk of a transmissible infection and a very low risk of allergic reaction.
PRP has been shown to be safe and effective in treating the following common conditions:
• Osteoarthritis of the Knee, Shoulder & All Joints
• Rotator Cuff Strains & Tears
• Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)
• PEP (Platelet Enhanced Pleasure) for Erectile Dysfunction and Vaginal Rejuvenation
• Muscle & Tendon Strains & Pains
Is PRP Right for me?
If you have a tendon or ligament injury or want relief of pains non-surgically and traditional methods have not provided relief, then PRP therapy may be the solution. The procedure is less aggressive and less expensive than surgery. It will heal tissue with minimal or no scarring, and alleviates further degeneration of the issues. No ill effects have been reported in any of the many studies executed.
This process uses the patient’s own blood thereby eliminating any chance of rejection response and minimizes the likelihood of infection. There will be an initial evaluation with your doctor to see if PRP therapy is right for you.
Physician Rehabilitation
6150 Diamond Centre Ct. Bldg. 100, Ft. Myers, FL 33912
855-276-5989 | www.PhysiciansRehab.com