PRP

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an orthobiologic — treatment that uses your body’s cells to stimulate healing. Ara Chitchyan, MD, and his team at American Rehabilitation Associates in Peachtree City, Georgia, specialize in using PRP and other biologics to treat neuromusculoskeletal disorders. You could benefit from their expertise in PRP therapy if you have a damaged joint, muscle, tendon, or ligament. Call American Rehabilitation Associates today to learn more about PRP’s healing abilities or request an appointment using the online booking form.

What is PRP?

Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, is a fluid extracted from the patient’s blood. It contains platelets, which make your blood clot when you injure yourself, and plasma, the fluid part of your blood.

Platelets are rich in the growth factors and proteins your body uses to help repair damaged tissues. In a concentrated form, they boost natural healing safely and effectively.

PRP is one of the most exciting orthobiologics now available. These treatments all use cells taken from the patient, so the risk of adverse effects from PRP is minimal.

How could PRP help me heal?

Your body’s healing processes are usually highly effective at repairing damaged tendons, muscles, and other parts of your musculoskeletal system, but sometimes it isn’t enough.

You might have a condition that reduces blood flow to the injured area, so not enough platelets arrive to complete the repairs. Age also makes the healing process less efficient because your platelet levels decline over time. Another possibility is that the injury is too severe for complete natural healing.

In these cases, PRP may make a difference. Your American Rehabilitation Associates provider injects the concentrated platelets into the area causing your pain, flooding it with extra growth factors. Your body may use them to complete the tissue repair, resolving the cause of your pain.

PRP may even heal areas where excess scar tissue has grown, which itself can cause pain and restricted movement. In some patients, platelet-poor plasma (PPP) might produce better results, particularly for injuries requiring muscle cell regrowth. PPP is the same as PRP but with lower quantities of platelets.

What does PRP treatment involve?

The first stage in receiving PRP treatment is harvesting the platelets and plasma. Your American Rehabilitation Associates provider takes some blood from an arm vein and puts it into a small machine called a centrifuge that spins at extremely high speed. That forces the platelets and plasma to separate from your red and white blood cells.

When the process is complete, your provider draws off the PRP, ready to inject it into your body. They use ultrasound image guidance technology to help guide the needle with pinpoint accuracy and avoid damaging the surrounding tissues.

PRP treatments take a while to work because healthy new cells must grow and multiply. It could take several weeks or sometimes more to experience your pain lessening and movement increasing. However, the improvement may continue for several months and often longer.

Call American Rehabilitation Associates today or book an appointment online to find out how PRP can ease your pain.