What is PRP?
PRP, like stem cell therapy, is a regenerative medicine treatment. PRP uses your blood to instigate your body's healing response, which in turn relieves your pain.
How does my blood help me heal with PRP?
Your blood contains several layers, including red and white blood cells, along with platelets. The platelets are highly valuable in terms of injury response, as they form clots when you're bleeding after being cut or otherwise hurt. Additionally — and most notably for PRP therapy — your platelets have growth factors that help you regenerate damaged tissue and grow new tissue by boosting stem cell migration and encouraging cellular proliferation at the site of the damage.
Although your blood already contains these growth factors, they're balanced throughout a single layer (your platelets) typically, so healing is very gradual. With PRP therapy, the Athens Spine Center team separates those platelets into an all-platelet formula, making a potent healing formula that they can place precisely where you need it. This can significantly accelerate healing and dramatically enhance your normal healing process overall.
Can PRP help with my pain?
PRP can offer outstanding pain relief for many types of tissue damage and injury, such as:
- Arthritis wear-and-tear
- Joint degeneration
- Ligament inflammation or tears
- Tendon inflammation or tears
- Nerve damage
- Connective tissue damage
PRP can help with neck, back, knee, shoulder, and many other kinds of pain. Talk to the Athens Spine Center team about whether it's the right choice for your chronic pain.
How does PRP therapy work?
The Athens Spine Center team takes a sample of blood from your arm. Then, they use specialized PRP processing equipment to pull the platelets out of your blood while discarding the rest. The Athens Spine Center team injects this highly concentrated PRP formula into the area where you're injured or have chronic pain, using X-ray or ultrasound guidance when necessary for ideal placement.
Many patients notice reduced pain in as little as a few weeks, but a series of treatments generally yields the best results.
Call Athens Spine Center to schedule your PRP treatment consultation today.