Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy

How Does Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy Work?

The body has a limited time period that it can dedicate to heal an injured and is often called the “inflammation stage” of injury.  After 3-6 months, the body “gives up” on the injured tissue and moves on to other areas that need help.  This is called the “chronic injury stage” and there are little to no cells in the injured tissue site to help with healing.

The healing process of chronic plantar fasciitis, ligament, tendon, bone, and cartilage injuries can be expedited by injecting cells that promote inflammation, raise a red flag to alert the body to take notice of the injured tissue again so it can assist healing the damaged tissue once again.

These essential healing cells are already contained in your blood. Though best known for their role in clotting blood, platelets also contain proteins called growth factors, which are important in the healing of injuries.

With PRP, blood is withdrawn, placed in a centrifuge to separate the different types of blood cells (red cells, white cells, and platelets).  After being separated, the platelet-rich blood sometimes has 10 times a richer concentration of growth factors. Your doctor then injects this platelet-rich portion of blood directly into the area of your injury. Usually with a single injection, although sometimes a series is appropriate.

After the injection, your injured region may actually ache more for a week or two while the injected cells are given time to work. Several weeks later, however, the healing benefits begin to reduce inflammation and pain to a noticeable degree.

PRP has a healing effect, an anti-inflammatory effect, and a pain-relieving effect that can be used to treat a variety of problems from tendons to joint issues.

University Foot and Ankle Institute, Rich in Knowledge

We realize that our patients have busy lives and rely on our expertise to reduce pain and enable activity. We take this mission seriously.

The physicians at UFAI were one of the first to adopt PRP technology for the foot and ankle. We are internationally recognized experts in its use to treat foot and ankle conditions and work directly with scientists and product manufacturers in the development of new technologies.

Our physicians have decades of combined experience using regenerative medicine and have published over a dozen scientific papers on PRP therapy. If you’re still suffering from foot and ankle pain, have tried conventional healing, and still have not gotten adequate relief, please contact us today to set up an appointment for a consultation.