Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has become a preferred treatment for joint pain over the past decade. This treatment helps shoulder, knee, ankle, and spine injuries and chronic pain heal faster, allowing patients to recover more quickly without surgery. Synergy Health is Naples’ premier non-surgical joint pain relief provider and is proud to bring you PRP therapy. Read on to learn what platelet-rich plasma therapy is, how it works, and how it can help relieve chronic knee and shoulder pain.
What is Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy?
Platelet-rich plasma therapy uses injections of a patient’s own concentrated platelets to enhance the healing process of injured muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints. It uses your healing system to relieve chronic pain and other musculoskeletal problems.
A PRP therapy injection is prepared by taking one to a few tubes of a patient’s blood and running it through a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets. We then inject the activated platelets directly into the injured tissue. The growth factors in the concentrated platelets can trigger cell production and tissue regeneration, thus speeding up the recovery process and relieving chronic pain.
How Can This Help With Chronic Knee Pain?
Knee pain can result from different catalysts, including arthritis, genetic conditions, and overuse injuries. The pain can be light and nothing more than an annoyance, but in some cases, knee pain can be chronic and disrupt your daily routine.
Knee pain is often biomechanical due to fascial lines that are dysfunctional in one area and too tight in another. Physical therapy can help alleviate most cases of knee pain and allow you to resume normal activity.
However, platelet-rich plasma therapy is worth considering if the source of knee pain is biological and in the tendons, muscles, or ligaments. Professional athletes have used PRP therapy to accelerate healing and get back to the game.
When injected into your injured knee or shoulder, activated platelets will help repair any tendon, ligament, or muscle damage. You may feel a slight sensitivity at the injection site, but that resolves within a few minutes. Minor soreness for up to a week is to be expected. It is a sign of healing and repair.
We advise avoiding strenuous activity to allow for optimized healing. Depending on the specifics of your case, more non-surgical PRP treatments may be necessary to ensure lasting results. Most patients need about 2-3 injections over two months to relieve chronic knee pain and improve function.
The main advantage of PRP treatment is that it provides all-natural knee pain relief. It also reduces the need for anti-inflammatories and strong opioids. The side effects are also limited because the therapy uses platelets from your own blood, thus eliminating the risk of rejection or an adverse reaction.
PRP Therapy at Synergy Health
As Naples’ leading chiro, PT, and massage provider, Synergy Health can help you find relief from chronic knee pain. Our team of chiropractors, physicians, physical therapists, massage therapists, and fitness professionals will work together to develop a customized treatment plan. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and determine if PRP therapy is right for you.
