PAIN MANAGEMENT PLATELET RICH PLASMA - PRP FAQS

Platelet Rich Plasma

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After sustaining an injury, the body initiates a well-orchestrated and complex series of events that results in eventual healing of the injury. Proteins in the blood play an integral role as messengers helping to regulate the entire healing process. Many of these proteins, called growth and differentiation factors, are recovered from small fragments in the blood called platelets.

 

Platelets are small, colorless cell fragments present in the blood. They are formed in the bone marrow and usually freely travel in the bloodstream in a resting state. However, when an injury occurs, the platelets become activated and gather at the injury site. While better known for their role in blood clotting (which causes bleeding to stop), platelets serve an additional essential role by releasing growth and differentiation factors. These beneficial factors initiate the healing process.

 

For many years, there has been a growing interest among researchers and clinicians regarding the use of various components derived from a person’s own blood to assist in their healing of soft tissue injuries. This involves obtaining and then delivering the blood components in a targeted fashion to the site of injury. New research and technology have expanded the role of this potential therapy for use in orthopedic applications.