Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy (PRP) uses your own blood as a healing solution. Medical institutions, researchers, and clinical study are documenting PRP’s effectiveness. It has been used to assist healing during surgery for many years.
A PRP injection delivers a high concentration of endogenous (your own) platelets to an area of injury, arthritis, or overuse. Blood is composed of plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Platelets are the injury’s “first-responders” and help revascularize an injured area, construct new tissue, and stop the bleeding. They contain growth factors that stimulate new tissue regeneration after injury.
The physiological effects include:
- Increasing tissue regeneration (tendon, ligament, soft tissue)
- Decreasing inflammation
- Decreasing pain
- Increasing collagen (base component of connective tissue)
- Increasing bone density
- Increasing angiogenesis (development of new blood cells).
New research is confirming that not only does PRP rebuild the soft tissue and supportive ligaments of the spine, but that is can be effective in restoring damage from degenerative disc disease.