PRP

What is PRP?

Platelet-rich plasma consists of a concentrate of your own blood’s platelets. Your PRP is made in the office by drawing a sample of your blood, then processing it in a centrifuge. As the centrifuge spins your blood, the platelets are separated from the other components of your blood.

When your PRP is ready, a local anesthetic is applied — or IV sedation is administered if needed for a spinal injection — and your PRP is injected into the injured or ailing area.

Since PRP uses your own blood, you don’t need to worry about side effects or reactions to your injection. Dr. Fadly may recommend that you avoid strenuous activity for a short time, then you can resume rehabilitation if needed for an injury.

What happens when PRP is injected?

When tissues in your body are injured, platelets go to the area and trigger healing by releasing proteins called growth factors. When concentrated platelets are injected at the site of damaged tissues, platelets accelerate healing by:

• Reducing inflammation
• Developing blood vessels
• Recruiting stem cells to regenerate new cells
• Preventing degeneration of healthy tissues in the area
• Triggering the production of tissues, such as muscles, ligaments, cartilage, and tendons

After a PRP injection, it takes time for new cells to regenerate. Although you may experience pain relief more quickly, it usually takes a few weeks for tissues to heal.

What health problems are treated with PRP?

With its ability to regenerate and heal tendons, ligaments, muscles, and cartilage, PRP injections are often used for musculoskeletal conditions, such as sports injuries, overuse damage, and inflammatory conditions. These are a few examples of problems treated with PRP:

• Rotator cuff tears
• ACL injuries
• Meniscal injuries
• Ligament tears
• Achilles tendon injuries
• Bursitis
• Tendonitis
• Osteoarthritis

Since PRP effectively relieves inflammation and pain, Dr. Fadly may recommend PRP therapy for chronic pain conditions, such as lower back pain, neck pain, and joint pain.

If you suffer from chronic pain or would like to learn whether your condition might benefit from regenerative therapy with PRP, call California Spine & Pain Institute or book an appointment online.