PRP Therapy Q & A
What is platelet-rich plasma?
Platelet-rich plasma refers to a naturally occurring plasma inside your blood. This plasma includes platelets, which are essential in triggering your body’s ability to heal itself and grow new, healthy cells. We use PRP to regenerate your tendons and ligaments. In some cases, PRP can also heal small fractures.
Drawing blood from your arm, your doctor places it into a centrifuge for about 15 minutes, which spins the blood at high speed. In doing so, the centrifuge isolates the plasma and concentrates it.
Your doctor can then inject the plasma into the treatment area or use it as a supplement for surgery.
What should I expect from PRP treatment?
Before recommending PRP treatment, the doctors evaluate your needs and how best to use PRP to heal your injury.
If your doctor determines that injecting the PRP will yield better results, they’ll give you a local anesthetic for comfort before the injection. Your doctor might also use ultrasound technology to get a better sense of where your body needs the injection.
If you need PRP as part of a surgical procedure, your doctor infuses the PRP into your tendon, ligament, or other affected tissue once the surgical repair is complete to boost your body’s healing process.
When will I see results from PRP therapy?
Every patient is different. However, some patients have noticed results from PRP therapy within a few weeks. Depending on the severity of your damage, you might need to wait a bit longer to notice significant improvement.
Dr. Carter-Robin can tell you when you should expect to notice conclusive results.
How many PRP therapy treatments will I need?
The amount of PRP treatment required depends on its usage. If you’re getting PRP therapy as part of a surgical procedure, this will be a one-time treatment.
If your doctor recommends of PRP therapy to treat an injury and boost your healing process, you might need a series of treatment. Your doctor will tell you exactly how many sessions are necessary to ensure the best results.
In most cases, you won’t have more than three PRP treatment sessions. Each session is spaced two to three weeks apart.
Schedule an appointment online or by phone today to learn more about what PRP therapy can do for you.
