Another RIT that has been getting recognition recently is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP). The procedure uses a portion of the patient’s own blood.
More commonly known, is platelet’s role in clotting blood; however, platelets also contain hundreds of proteins referred to as “growth factors”. These growth factors are essential and have proven to promote healing of injured muscles, tendons, joints, and ligaments. Basically, PRP is plasma with many more platelets than what is typically found in the blood.
Platelet Rich Plasma or PRP is blood plasma with concentrated platelets. The concentrated platelets found in PRP contain huge reservoirs of bioactive proteins, including growth factors that are vital to initiate and accelerate tissue repair and regeneration. These bioactive proteins initiate connective tissue healing: bone, tendon and ligament regeneration and repair, promote the development of new blood vessels and stimulate the wound healing process.
To prepare PRP, blood is taken from the patient and through a separating process, the components within the blood are isolated to produce the PRP. The entire process takes about 15-20 minutes. When PRP is injected into the damaged area it stimulates the tendon or ligament as well as causing mild inflammation that triggers the healing cascade.
PRP injections can be performed in muscles, tendons, and ligaments all over the body. Some examples include resistant fractures, muscle strains, ligament sprains, articular cartilage injury, acute tendon rupture, and chronic tendinopathy.
