What are blood platelets?
A person’s blood is made up of white and red blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Platelets possess specialized growth factors crucial to the body’s overall healing process.
What is platelet-rich plasma?
Plasma is the clear, liquid part of blood. When blood is drawn from a person, it is placed in a machine called a centrifuge which spins the blood and causes the platelets to separate. When combined with plasma and injected into the patient, the platelets deliver their healing potential in concentrated doses to targeted areas.
What are the uses and benefits of platelet-rich injections?
Generally, tendon injuries respond best to platelet-rich plasma. However, various other ligament and muscle injuries are also treated using this type of therapy. Research is on-going, and new uses and benefits are being explored and discovered. It is likely that platelet-rich plasma will soon be used to treat bone fractures, knee injuries, ligament damage, muscle injuries, and provide an alternative to surgery.
Currently, studies indicate the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma therapy depends on the particular part of the body that is injured. Additionally, the overall health of the patient is a factor to how efficient this process is. To provide the best ability to heal, the affected area of the body needs to be treated as soon as possible.
Learn more about platelet-rich plasma therapy here.
