HEALTH FEATURE
PRP
FOR
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)
by: Matthew Sykes, DO, CAQSM
Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy (PRPT) is a new, exciting, emerging, minimallyinvasive regenerative therapy which utilizes current medical and laboratory technology as a means to concentrate the body’s own innate capacity for tissue healing and restoration.
26 Inside Medicine | Volume 3 I ssue 19
Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy (PRPT) is a new, exciting, emerging, minimally-invasive regenerative therapy which utilizes current medical and laboratory technology as a means to concentrate the body’s own innate capacity for tissue healing and restoration. Platelets are our smallest blood cells, and contain essential growth factors, such as fibroblast growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, transforming growth factor-ß, epidermal growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and insulinlike growth factor, which are involved in stimulating our stem cells to promote the growth of new, healthy tissues. The process of obtaining platelet-rich plasma (PRP), involves drawing as little as 10 mL of blood one's blood into a vial, and concentrating platelets which can then be extracted into a syringe for injection into damaged tissue. The most current applications for PRPT are in the fields of orthopedics and sports medicine for treatment of chronic tendinitis
and small muscle tears. Historically the best use case for PRP has been in the treatment of tennis elbow otherwise known as lateral epicondylitis. While acute inflammation can be beneficial in tissue healing, chronic inflammation can lead to the replacement of the normal tendon and muscle tissue with scar tissue. Scar tissue is functionally very different than tendon tissue: it lacks elasticity and the ability to contract; therefore excess scar tissue can lead to tendon and muscle weakness, stiffness, predisposition to re-tearing, or even a rupture of muscle or tendon if significant tissue degeneration has occurred. PRP has been shown to decrease tendon inflammation, while also promoting thickening of the tendon, and also restoration of the normal tissue architecture, which ultimately results in renewed ability of the tendons and muscle to function optimally.
