Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) triggers your body’s natural healing response to repair damage and relieve chronic pain. At Advanced Sports Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, Jim Johnson, MD, performs PRP therapy for people with degenerative diseases, sports injuries, and other musculoskeletal conditions. The safe, quick, and minimally invasive treatment can help restore your quality of life if you experience chronic pain. To learn more, call Advanced Sports Medicine today or schedule an appointment online.
Platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP) uses your own blood platelets to accelerate your body’s natural healing capabilities. During PRP therapy, Dr. Johnson isolates your PRP and injects it directly into your area of pain or damage. PRP therapy can help treat musculoskeletal conditions without surgery, medication, or unnatural substances.
PRP contains growth factors that can repair damage and promote healing inside the body. To activate PRP, Dr. Johnson draws your own blood and runs it through a centrifuge.
The centrifuge isolates the concentrated platelets and removes unwanted substances, such as white blood cells and platelet-poor plasma. That process ensures your PRP reaches maximum potency. Once your PRP is isolated, Dr. Johnson injects it into your area of pain.
Over the next 4-6 weeks, the PRP activates your body’s healing response to relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
PRP therapy can take up to an hour, including the preparation process and short recovery period after treatment. Dr. Johnson monitors you after the injection to make sure you don’t experience any negative reactions.
Some people experience lasting relief from a single PRP injection but many need follow-up treatments. Dr. Johnson typically recommends up to three treatments within six months to promote long-term healing.
PRP therapy can help treat a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions, including:
Arthritis is an inflammatory condition that causes chronic joint pain. Osteoarthritis, the most common form, causes cartilage damage around the joint. PRP therapy may help stimulate new growth to protect your cartilage and repair damage.
Tendonitis occurs when the tendons that connect muscle to bone become inflamed. Achilles tendonitis and golfer’s and tennis elbow are just a few types of tendonitis that PRP therapy can treat.
If you repeatedly strain or tear a muscle, it can cause lasting damage and chronic pain. PRP therapy can stimulate healing to repair this damage and restore function to your injured muscle.
To learn more about PRP therapy, call Advanced Sports Medicine today or schedule an appointment online.