Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a popular, safe, and effective treatment for joint and connective tissue injuries, including injuries to muscles, tendons, and ligaments. One of the big benefits of PRP is that it doesn’t just treat painful symptoms — it stimulates natural healing that can help your body repair damaged tissues without more invasive treatments, like surgery.
Like any specialty service, PRP treatment requires skill and experience to ensure each patient enjoys maximum benefits. At his offices in Sugar Land and Houston, Texas, J. Michael Bennett, MD, PA, uses his skills as a leading sports medicine specialist to provide PRP therapy using the most advanced, state-of-the-art techniques for optimal outcomes.
Of course, one of the first questions patients have about their therapy is how quickly they’ll see results. In this post, Dr. Bennett reviews the basics of PRP treatment and when most patients can expect to reap its benefits.
As its name implies, PRP is composed of platelets and plasma, two blood components. Plasma is the liquid part of your blood, and platelets are tiny components that play an essential role in healing.
During PRP treatment, Dr. Bennett extracts a sample of your blood and processes it in a machine called a centrifuge that’s designed to separate plasma and platelets from the other parts of your blood. After separation, the concentrated solution of platelets is injected into the area of tissue damage.
Once PRP is injected, it starts working immediately to heal damaged tissue and promote the growth of new, healthy tissue. Proteins called growth factors help to rebuild tissue, while the PRP solution triggers a healing cascade directly at the injury site for immediate, focused healing and repair.
One major benefit of PRP is that because it’s obtained from your own blood, you don’t have to worry about rejection or allergic reactions, which can inhibit healing and even worsen some injuries. Following your treatment, you’ll be able to get back to most of your activities, but we might recommend some activity modification to give your body a jump start on healing.
Because PRP works with your body’s natural healing processes, it makes sense that you won’t feel the benefits right away. Immediately after treatment, you might have some discomfort or minor swelling near the injection site — similar to what you’d experience with any injection.
Over the next several weeks, PRP stimulates your tissues to regrow and regenerate. Most people experience maximum benefits by about six weeks after their injection.
Another benefit of PRP is you can have additional treatments as needed to promote further tissue repair. If you have a chronic condition like arthritis, Dr. Bennett will be able to determine the ideal injection schedule based on your specific needs.
PRP treatment is just one of the innovative techniques Dr. Bennett offers to help his patients feel better, stay active, and continue to enjoy the activities they love. To find out if PRP is right for you and to learn about other treatment options that can help, book an appointment online or over the phone with Dr. Bennett today.
