Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy relieves pain and restores strength, stability and range of motion. This is accomplished without the risks of surgery, general anesthesia, hospital stays, or prolonged recovery. PRP is a new treatment option intended to relieve knee pain, rebuild collagen (the major building block of cartilage, tendons and ligaments) and restore function without the risk of surgery.

Platelets naturally begin the healing the healing process in the body. With PRP, this process is intensified as a high concentration of platelets are delivered to speed up healing.

What is PRP?

PRP is the yellowish-clear part of the blood concentrated with platelets and growth factors that initiate and accelerate tissue repair and regeneration. Platelet Rich Plasma is obtained by drawing some blood from the patient, then separating the red and white blood cells to isolate a concentrated amount of platelets. The PRP is then injected with a very fine needle into the area that needs the tissue repaired.

How Long Does the Procedure Take?

The procedure typically takes about one hour, including the blood draw, PRP preparation and injection. Most people return to their jobs or usual activities right after the procedure.

How Often Should the Procedure be Done?

Although each case is considered individually, Dr. Hansen has found the best results are obtained by giving a series of 10 PRP injection over a 14 week period: 1 PRP injection per week for 6 weeks, followed by 1 injection every other week for the last 8 weeks. This procedure has a cumulative effect that stimulates tissue repair and enhanced production of new collagen and other organized connective tissue. The procedure improves ligaments, tendons, and cartilage to regenerate healthy, stronger, and more flexible joints. In addition to PRP, specialized physical therapy using Accelerated Recovery Performance (ARP) Wave electro-stimulation is recommended after the series of PRP injections to strengthen the associated muscles.

What are the Expected Results?

Initial improvement is typically seen within a few weeks, which gradually increases as the healing progresses. The PRP provides almost immediate benefits of cushioning and relief to painful joints. Each PRP session builds on the previous injection by providing cumulative benefits that continue to reduce more pain each week while it also increases flexibility. Research studies and clinical practice have shown PRP therapy to be extremely effective at relieving pain and restoring function. Both ultrasound and MRI images have shown definitive tissue repair with PRP therapy, confirming the healing process. The need for surgery can be greatly reduced or eliminated by restoring healthy cartilage, ligaments, and tendons before the damage becomes irreversible.

Studies Confirm Effectiveness of PRP

A recent study conducted by researchers from Hospital for Special Surgery found that PRP treatment improved pain and function for patients with knee osteoarthritis, with 73% of patients seeing delays in the progression of the disease. While previous studies have found that patients with osteoarthritis can lose nearly five percent of cartilage per year, this study discovered that a majority of patients had no further cartilage loss following the treatment.

PRP treats the following conditions:

• Tennis Elbow
• Ankle Sprains
• Sports Injuries
• Tendinitis
• Ligament Sprains
• Wrinkling of the Skin

When used for skin rejuvenation, PRP releases growth factors into the skin to expedite the body’s own repair process and stimulate new collagen and elastin. The PRP is applied topically to the skin during a micro-needling procedure.

The micro-channels created by micro-needling provide direct pathways to the deeper layers of skin to stimulate connective tissue regeneration and younger, healthier skin. Micro-needling with PRP application is an ideal treatment for smoothing fine lines, wrinkles, and scars or even increasing volume and restoring the youthful appearance of your skin.