Platelet rich plasma therapy has been shown to be highly effective in healing painful knee injuries, using a person’s own blood!
What is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy?
Platelet rich plasma is derived from the patient’s own blood and injected into the knee.
Platelets are blood cells that are best known as clotting cells. But they also contain a number of proteins called growth factors. These growth factors can support healing.
In the PRP therapy, the person’s own blood is used to separate the blood cells from plasma. The plasma now contains a high concentration of platelets. This platelet rich plasma is injected into damaged tissues.
Research has shown that PRP or platelet-rich plasma can help with knee injuries and pain, especially those cases that have failed to achieve relief with other treatments.
Platelet-rich plasma has been used to treat the following –
- Joint instability
- Joint pain
- Knee, shoulder, elbow, and other joint injuries
- Osteoarthritis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Sprains and strains
Effectiveness of PRP Therapy
A study in 2009 showed significant improvements in pain, 6 months after the treatment, among 100 people with degenerative cartilage lesions in their knees.
A 2013 study followed 78 patients with osteoarthritis in both knees. Patients who received PRP injections experienced great pain reduction as compared with a group that received placebo injections. Most people obtained relief within a few weeks.
Most studies found few or no side effects. PRP has been shown to be a safe, non-invasive alternative to knee surgery. Since it uses the person’s own blood, no adverse reaction is likely.
