What is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy?

A blog article by Dr. Joseph Rosado MD – What is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy?

What is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy? – PRP relieves pain by promoting long-lasting healing of musculoskeletal conditions using the healing power of your own body. PRP Therapy has been increasing in popularity due to its use and success with celebrities, professional athletes, retired individuals, and weekend warriors for injuries and chronic pain. This type of therapy provides patients with an alternative to surgery by promoting safe and natural healing.

What is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy? | A blog article by Dr. Joseph Rosado MD — What is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy?

How Does Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy Work?

Dr. Joseph Rosado wants you to know that Platelet Rich Plasma contains 5-10 times as many growth factors than as whole blood. After your platelets reach the injury, they release Cytokines, which are Growth Factors. These growth factors play a very important role in helping the body initiate healing. Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF), Vascular Endothelia Growth Factor (VEGF), and Transforming Growth Factor–Beta (TGF-B) are a few of the very important signals that help the recruitment of MSCs to the damaged area.

These cells cause an acceleration of tissue regeneration through the development of new blood vessels, bone, cartilage, and collagen syntheses. Joseph Rosado MD understands that this treatment can be effective for those suffering from auto accident pain as well as injuries from sporting activities. Providing highly effective healing of many conditions and injuries that have not responded to other treatment methods. Because your own blood is used, there is no risk of transmissible infection and a very low risk of allergic reaction.

Understanding The Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy Procedure

At your initial appointment, a small amount of your blood will be drawn with an anticoagulant and placed into an FDA-medically approved container. This sterile disposable container is placed in a specialized centrifuge for a single ten-minute spin. During the centrifugation process, the high speed separates the whole blood into layers of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and red blood cells.

After the centrifugation is complete the sterile container is then placed in a separating device and the PRP layer is aspirated from the red blood cells and is ready to be injected into the area of concern. Dr. Joseph Rosado’s goal is to help his patients get a place where they can lead productive lifestyles.

What makes Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy unique when being a patient of Doctor Joseph Rosado?

State-of-the-art equipment is used to produce the highest quality of customized Platelet concentrations. Our concentrating device is specifically designed to cause minimal if any damage to the platelets. Each procedure is done by hand to create the exact volume and concentration of platelets for each specific application.

Using the right treatment on the right structure will create the best and most desirable outcomes. Dr. Rosado performs each injection under ultrasound guidance to ensure the PRP is injected into and around the point of injury. This personal, hands-on approach results in a highly successful treatment that usually requires fewer sessions to accomplish the desired results.

Patients need to understand what to expect before and after receiving Platelet Rich Plasma treatments.

Before Your Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy with Joseph Rosado MD

Avoid corticosteroid medications for 2 to 3 weeks prior to the procedure.
Stop taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or aspirin (low dose, 81mg, aspirin may be permissible), or arthritis medications such as Celebrex, a week prior to the procedure
If you take Coumadin, Heparin, Lovenox, Warfarin, Pradaxa, Debigatran, Orgaran, Innohep, Fragmin, Argatroban, Plavix, Effient, Prasugrel, ReoPro, Ticlid, Trental, Persantine, or any other blood thinner, notify your doctor. This medication must be discontinued prior to an injection and requires permission from the provider prescribing it.

After Your Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy with Joseph Rosado MD

Due to the numbness, Dr. Rosado will ask that you refrain from any strenuous activities but remain mobile. He also recommends continuing to move the affected area to decrease soreness and stiffness.
After the treatment’s anesthesia wears off you may resume activities. Each patient’s pain tolerance is different so therefore additional follow-up visits may be recommended.
In some cases, a restriction of weight-bearing devices may apply for knees and hips if Dr. Rosado advises. This is common for sports athletes.
A patient will experience some pain and soreness 2-5 days after their treatment. The initial inflammatory phase last 7 days and the second phase can last up to 14 days. This is important for family members to be aware of after treatment is completed for that visit.
No anti-inflammatory medication (Ibuprofen, Motrin, Aleve) should be used while under treatment.
Extra Strength Tylenol q4-6 hours for pain, Ice as needed for pain (only on the day of injection) and or swelling (10-20 minutes to cool the skin, repeat every 2-3 hours). Make sure to place a barrier between your skin and the ice.
Some patients may experience the “roller coaster” syndrome. This is where you feel great one day and for no apparent reason the area/s treated starts to hurt again, this is normal in the healing process.
To reach our goal of improvement in pain, you may or may not need more than 1 treatment to reach that goal. Sometimes a series of 2-3 treatments are needed to achieve complete healing. If subsequent treatments are needed they are usually performed 6-8 weeks apart.

Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy Expected Results

PRP Therapy injections do not immediately resolve pain – it is important to be aware of this prior to your first treatment. The goal of PRP therapy is to actually heal the injured site; the results are usually long-term and often permanent. Initial improvement in pain and mobility usually occurs 2-3 months after the initial injection and continues to improve over the next 6 months.

The exact number of treatments varies based on the area that was injured, the type of injury, and your body’s ability to successfully heal. Dr. Joseph Rosado uses strict medical guidelines to ensure a clean and sanitary appointment room that is cleaned and re-sanitized after each patient visit. He strongly believes in caring for the patient at every turn of their care therapy. Generally, you can expect considerable to complete pain relief after the first or second injection. Sometimes a series of 2-3 treatments are needed to achieve complete healing. If subsequent treatments are needed they are usually performed 6-8 weeks apart.

Thanks for reading this article titled: What is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy? by Doctor Joseph Rosado.

If you have any questions about PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) treatments, please contact his office. I hope this article helped you learn a little more about Dr. Joseph Rosado and shared the answers with you. If you want to learn more about this schedule an appointment with Dr. Rosado or purchase his book on Amazon.