Platelets are found in your blood. Although they're important for clotting blood, they also contain hundreds of proteins that contain another set of benefits. Practitioners take the blood from the patient and prepare it by removing the red and white blood cells, leaving behind the platelets with a centrifugation process. Platelets play an active role in your body's ability to heal itself with cell proliferation and tissue regeneration. Your platelets release healing proteins called growth factors. There are many growth factors with varying responsibilities, however, cumulatively they accelerate tissue and wound healing. Therefore, this process can dramatically enhance the healing process as well as regeneration of tissue.

PRP treatments can help patients with chronic tendon injuries and moderate to severe back pain. Studies have found that PRP can provide significant pain relief for people with chronic tendinopathy from rotator cuff and Achilles tendon injuries.

The PRP process is safe when performed by a qualified medical practitioner. All injections carry some risk. For the best results, follow all pre-procedure instructions, including stopping specific medications and not taking aspirin, naproxen, ibuprofen, or blood thinners for a certain number of days before the treatment. For questions and concerns, please contact our office.

After preparing a concentration of your platelets, a trained medical professional cleans the area, uses a lidocaine topical pain ointment at the injection site, and injects them into the problem region to stimulate and accelerate your body's reparative abilities by as much as five to ten times greater than without the procedure. For example, if you're dealing with tennis elbow and prefer something with fewer chances of side effects than a cortisone shot, the PRP injection uses your blood to heal your body. Additionally, cortisone injections dull your pain; they don't cure it, whereas PRP treatments promote healing. If you have had cortisone shots or medications in the past few weeks, you may need to wait two to three weeks after taking them to begin PRP treatments for the best results.

Who wouldn't want a more natural treatment to get results of Botox? PRP can reduce fine lines and wrinkles without injecting small doses of botulism into your face, which also has more potential side effects, such as redness, nausea, headaches, and flu-like symptoms. The process naturally stimulates your skin's stem cells, activates cell growth, and leaves your face smoother and healthier.

The regenerative process takes four to six weeks. Most patients need two to three treatments two to four weeks apart for optimal results.

Each procedure can vary by the area being treated. But the process takes about 30 minutes for most patients.

Side effects with PRP sessions are rare and can include mild nausea, dizziness, and fainting. These symptoms usually dissipate after a few hours. Additionally, the process uses autologous cells, which is a fancy way of saying they came from your own body and can't create allergic or immune system reactions. All injections carry minor risks from infection, pain at the injection site, tissue damage, and nerve injuries.

You may experience redness and mild discomfort immediately following the procedure for the first 24 to 48 hours that you can reduce by applying ice. Subsequent sessions should have less discomfort. However, some treatment areas are more sensitive than others. You may take Tylenol for injections in the joints, such as your elbow, shoulder, knee, and ankle. Don't take NSAIDs.

No. Most practitioners encourage patients to start physical therapy as soon as two weeks following their PRP injections to improve their rehabilitation. For additional questions about or platelet-rich plasma injection services, contact us today at 732-333-8155 for an initial consultation with Dr. Bradley Bodner.