PRP

J. Michael Bennett, MD, PA

Orthopaedic Surgeon & Sports Medicine Specialist located in Bastrop, TX, Austin, TX, & San Marcos, TX

Physicians have been using natural platelet-rich plasma for years to help patients heal from injuries. Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, involves extracting powerful growth factors from your own blood, then injecting them directly into soft tissues. As a leading orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist in Sugar Land and Houston, Texas, J. Michael Bennett, MD, PA can help you recover from all kinds of injuries, pain, or inflammation. The office of Dr. J. Michael Bennett welcomes new patients who may need platelet-rich plasma treatments. Call the office, or book your appointment online today.

Platelet-Rich Plasma Q & A

How is platelet-rich plasma made?

The platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment starts with a simple blood draw. It’s similar to collecting a specimen at the lab, although Dr. Bennett needs to draw a bit more blood. Next, he mixes your blood with an anticoagulant solution that binds with calcium. This step blocks the biological processes of coagulation.

Vials of your blood and solution get deposited into a centrifuge, which spins your blood at a rapid pace and allows growth factors to be separated. Roughly 70% of your growth factors are released after just 10 minutes in the centrifuge. After extracting your growth factor-rich PRP solution into a vial, Dr. Bennett can inject it into your injured area.

Does PRP treat sports injuries?

Yes! Dr. Bennett injects PRP directly into injured tissues. Once it’s injected, your own growth factors go to work and start replicating cells in the injured area. This provides an environment that encourages a natural healing response. PRP is beneficial for:

Torn rotator cuffs
Severely sprained ankles
Jumper’s knee
Tennis elbow
Bone fractures
Muscle injuries

Platelet-rich plasma is even beneficial for relieving pain and inflammation caused by inflammatory diseases, like arthritis.

When will PRP start working?

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) starts going to work to rebuild cells and tissues as soon as it’s injected. But you won’t notice the benefit overnight. Most men and women have some initial inflammation and swelling at the injection site for the first few days. This is entirely normal.

Over the following weeks though, pain and discomfort should subside, and you should start noticing an improvement. Optimal results could take up to a month or more, although Dr. Bennett lets you know what to expect for your specific case.

Are PRP injections painful?

It’s normal to feel some stinging or burning during your session, but you shouldn’t experience severe pain. The blood draw portion is just like a typical lab draw — it just lasts slightly longer since you need to provide a larger sample.

Injecting platelet-rich plasma directly into an injured tendon, ligament, or other type of tissue can cause slight discomfort, especially while you’re recovering from an injury or surgery. Dr. Bennett can numb the treatment area to minimize your pain as much as possible.

*This is a new technique and therefore may not covered by insurance. The cost will be discussed at the time of your visit.