PRP Injections

PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) is a regenerative medical treatment used to aid in the healing of chronically inflamed, injured or slow to heal tissue. Like prolotherapy, PRP tries to invoke your body’s natural immune system to repair tissue. PRP consists of a concentrated number of platelets (a blood cell known for its clotting abilities and containing growth factors that stimulate cell reproduction and tissue regeneration) contained within plasma (the liquid portion of blood). PRP is procured by taking a blood sample from the person being treated. This blood is placed in a centrifuge to separate out the PRP component, which is then reinjected into the body at the site needing treatment.

Whereas prolotherapy indirectly stimulates the body into sending healing growth factors to the treatment site, PRP has the benefit of allowing the clinician to directly place these healing components. However, due to the increased viscosity (thickness of the fluid) of blood products, a larger bore needle is usually needed to administer the PRP concentrate. Also, anesthetic agents such as lidocaine are not typically administered in conjunction with PRP due to the significant decrease in platelet functionality they cause. These two differences tend to make the PRP procedure more uncomfortable for the patient compared to prolotherapy.