Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is a powerful new therapy being used by increasing numbers of physicians to help treat musculoskeletal problems such as arthritis and soft tissue injuries. PRP can be used to treat degenerative arthritis of the knee, shoulder, elbow, and ankle. It can also help with tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, ankle sprains, ligamentous injuries and tendinitis.

In addition, this revolutionary, novel treatment does not rely on any synthetic drugs. Rather, PRP is made by concentrating factors found within a patient's own blood stream. This therapy has no significant risks because your own platelets coming from your own blood are used, meaning that rejection and disease transmission are not an issue. This therapy provides the body with natural tools to heal injured areas.

Many professional athletes have been treated with PRP and the results have been nothing short of dramatic. PRP has helped many patients avoid surgery, steroid injections or drugs and stop or reduce their need for pain medications and anti-inflammatory drugs.

You may be wondering how long has this novel sounding therapy been around. For the last 20 years it has been used successfully in various medical venues and it has been used in the last 5 years for joints in the US. PRP is also used in dental surgery to enhance wound healing. Initially this therapy was utilized for cardiac surgery, notably heart valve replacement, to facilitate healing.

PRP has been used in bone grafting procedures, repair of neurons (nerve regeneration studies are being done on rats in China), and it has been used in a gel form to accelerate wound healing and reduce scarring.

Platelets are cells found within the bloodstream along with red blood cells, white blood cells and others. It used to be thought that the chief function of platelets was to help with blood clotting, but we now know that platelets play many other important roles.

When you suffer a soft tissue injury such as a sprain or strain, the injured tissues release chemicals that act like a 911 call to platelets, which respond by rushing to the area just like paramedics as first responders. Platelets contain numerous growth and healing factors, which initiate and accelerate wound healing. They release additional chemical signals that attract stem cells to the area and stimulate them to begin the rebuilding process. By concentrating platelets as we do when PRP therapy is performed, these beneficial effects are dramatically increased.