PRP or Platelet Rich Plasma
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is blood that has been enriched with platelets. PRP contains various growth factors that can stimulate healing.
How does PRP treatment work?
When the body is injured, a complex set of events occur in which the damaged tissue is broken down and removed, while new tissue is created. Some parts of the body are prone to poor healing – tendons and ligaments especially. Additionally, some people have an imbalance between breakdown and healing where the body tends to break down more than heal. PRP contains a complex array of growth factors that promote healing rather than painful inflammation and breakdown. PRP is an injection of potential – the patient must utilize the PRP to its full potential by adjusting their lifestyle, especially with proper exercise, to promote on-going healing beyond PRP which will provide an initial boost to that process.
Are PRP injections painful?
PRP injections, in general, are painful. It often depends on the part of the body being treated. Injections into the joints typically cause a minimal amount of pain. But patients who receive targeted injections in or around ligaments or tendons can experience severe pain during and immediately after the procedure. For this reason, we perform monitored anesthesia care with board certified anesthesiologists for all PRP procedures. We also perform blocks under sedation for postop pain. This makes our regenerative medicine procedures uniquely tolerable and pain free.
What conditions can be helped by a healing response?
Painful tendons, discs, ligaments, and joints can be stimulated to heal.
PRP for Tendonitis, back pain, arthritis
PRP has shown to be useful when addressing spine pain, tendonitis (tendonosis), ligament problems, bursitis, and arthritis.
Are there risks associated with PRP?
Like any injection, there is a small risk of infection, bleeding, or nerve damage. However, because the plasma-rich-platelets come from the patient’s own blood, there is little risk of infection or of the body rejecting the PRP.
Stem Cell Therapy
Stem Cell Therapy is becoming more and more popular, to the point of exaggeration in many cases. Nonetheless, it is promising for the same indications as PRP to boost the healing process even more. Intuitively the idea is that stem cells self-propagate into the types of cells needed. However, based on research done, stem cells seem to exert a different effect where they help coordinate and stimulate the body’s own healing process even beyond what PRP is capable of accomplishing. At Acute Pain Therapies, we offer Stem Cell Therapy Guidance, to help candidates decided what’s best for them.
What are adult stem cells?
Somatic stem cells are found in the organs of adults and are able to divide, or self-renew, indefinitely. They are able to generate many of the cell types of the tissue from which they originate. Because they do not require the destruction of an embryo to be harvested, the use of this type of stem cell is not controversial from that standpoint. Its efficacy remains contentious. Its use by clinics who treat conditions beyond their expertise has also made its use controversial. Acute pain therapies only uses these treatments within its professional’s training and scope of expertise.
What conditions can be treated with Stem Cell Therapy?
The same conditions as PRP.
Top FAQs about Stem Cells:
Nothing else has worked. Are stem cells the answer? Is it ethical?
Our office uses adult stem cells from the patient’s own body which upon extraction is introduced into the injured area immediately after minimal manipulation and for autologous use. There is no religious ethical concern associated with this type of cell. We operate within our scope of expertise and have undergone appropriate training as well as on-going continuing medical education to maintain our ability to perform these procedures safely and in line with the latest medical evidence.
Is the use of stem cells safe?
A lot of advertisements for stem cells suggest it is perfectly safe with no risk for complications. There is no such thing as a medical treatment without risks, side effects, or complications. While rare in the medical literature thus far, all studies of stem cells have been too small to definitively say that stem cell injection therapy is completely safe. It may eventually come to light that stem cell injection therapy is harmful. We do not believe that will happen, and for that reason we are willing to provide the treatment to patients willing to take that miniscule risk in hopes that stem cells may bring them some healing and relief.
Other Regenerative Treatment Options
There are other treatment options that have their place. Our doctors engage with cutting edge clinics to develop and implement new protocols that they consider safe and effective.
Here are interesting articles & resources by one of our colleagues Dr. Joseph Purita.
If you feel you may be a candidate for Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) or Stem Cell Therapy, fill out this form today and a member of our team will be in touch!
