Today’s orthopedic practices are using new techniques to lessen and eliminate musculoskeletal pain. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is another tool that many orthopedic specialists use for some soft tissue injuries and some cases of osteoarthritis.
Our board-certified orthopedic surgeons with Delta Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine use PRP therapy when indicated to improve your mobility and relieve your pain.
Three types of conditions respond well to PRP therapy in many patients: certain cases of osteoarthritis, tendonitis, and muscle/ligament injuries.
PRP is not yet a standard of care for these conditions. More research is needed, but preliminary results show promise.
Not all orthopedic practices offer PRP therapy. We provide this treatment if we think it can help you because we have studied the research to date. With that evidence and our own clinical findings, we believe this treatment can benefit many patients.
If you have osteoarthritis in your knees, your cartilage is degenerating. It’s the tough tissue that provides a cushion between your bones.
Cellular and biochemical processes as well as your body mechanics result in inflammation in the cartilage and eventual degeneration of your knee joint. The cartilage in the adult knee is avascular, meaning it doesn’t have a blood supply that brings nutrients to it to keep it healthy.
There’s good news for you. Studies show that PRP helps many patients with this condition. It may slow the progression of your arthritis because it calms inflammation and brings needed nutrients to your damaged knee.
The concentrated mass of platelets with growth factors and nutrients in the blood rush to your painful knee to start the healing process. More study is needed, but PRP may also aid hip, shoulder, and ankle joints.
If your knee arthritis makes you unsteady on your feet, you may be a candidate for Arthrex® IntraOsseous Bioplasty®, a surgical procedure for knee arthritis. We inject PRP into the knee as we perform this operation, which improves joint stability to your knee joint.
Have you been diagnosed with tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow? You don’t have to play tennis or golf to succumb to this injury. Anyone who uses arm movements that bend the elbow with some force is at risk for tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, such as carpenters, painters, and warehouse or factory workers.
If your work involves repetitive wrist motions or clenched fists, you’re more at risk for golfer’s elbow, or medial epicondylitis. The culprit is inflamed tendons.
Similar to the cartilage in your knee, tendons have little vascular structure; blood flow that could help heal your tendon is poor. That’s one reason why recovery from tendon injuries takes so long.
When you have a PRP injection for tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow, studies show that it’s an effective treatment, and you heal faster. A moderate amount of evidence supports PRP for patellar tendinopathy (jumper’s knee) and plantar fasciitis.
Do you have strained muscles or ligaments? Research shows PRP is an effective treatment for these soft tissue injuries. Hamstrings, quadriceps, and hip flexor muscles that cross over two joints are especially at risk for injury. About 50% of runners have a hamstring strain at one time or another.
Clinical evidence shows that PRP lessens swelling and pain and promotes faster healing than with traditional therapies alone. No matter whether you play sports and need to get back on the field, or you’re a busy mom who needs to keep up with the children, you want a treatment that speeds your recovery.
Call Delta Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine or book an appointment online for advanced, state-of-the-art treatment for your musculoskeletal conditions or injuries. Our offices are conveniently located in West Memphis, Arkansas, and Collierville, Tennessee.
