Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic is Proud to Offer Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Treatment for Sports & Chronic Injuries of the Extremity

Raleigh, NC (February 17, 2010) - Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is a relatively new treatment for chronic sprains, muscle or ligament injuries and overuse conditions in the arms and legs.  It involves taking a sample of blood from your arm (~2 teaspoons) and filtering out the platelet or buffy coat portion.  This portion of the blood contains the platelets that act as a blood glue and also growth factors that help promote healing of even longstanding injuries.  After filtering, the portion is injected back at the site of your injury to help jump-start the healing process.

PRP treatment is especially useful for chronic sprains around the ankle and knee.  It is commonly used for partial tears of the kneecap tendon and for Achilles tendonitis at the back of the heel.  It can also help heal overuse type injuries, such as tennis elbow or shoulder bursitis.  It has not been shown to be useful in joints or in conditions where there is already bone or cartilage injury, such as arthritis.

Many people will have healing with as little as one treatment, although some patients may need two to three injections in order to get full effect.  The injection process takes around half an hour.  You will be need to refrain from strenuous activities for three to four days after the injection, but then will start working your way back into athletic activities and exercise.  Most people are able to return to full activities by four to six weeks.

Despite a growing list of articles that demonstrate PRP’s effectiveness, insurance companies consider the process experimental.  As a result, at this time, you will need to pay for the treatment yourself.  We are currently surveying our patients’ results with PRP with good response.  We are hoping that this information and other studies like it will lead the insurance companies to embrace the technology.

For now, it is available and may be useful in your condition.  Please ask your doctor or contact us for a consultation to see if PRP or some other treatment may be right for you.