Knee Surgeon
If you are suffering from pain in your knee or the area surrounding your knee, a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) doctor may be able to provide the ideal solution. As a knee surgeon from a practice like the Premier Osteoarthritis Centers of Pennsylvania can explain, knee pain is not uncommon, as it can develop for any number of reasons. Whether you’re suffering from osteoarthritis, recovering from surgery, or have overused your knee, PRP treatment can help your body regenerate damaged tissue and speed the healing process for your condition.
Who takes advantage of PRP treatments? Many people: Professional athletes, recreational athletes, senior citizens, children, and nearly anyone else can benefit from PRP treatments depending on the nature of their condition. It is a non-surgical approach that also does not rely on prescription painkillers to work.
How PRP Therapy Works
PRP therapy treatments have been used for quite some time, but it is now spreading from the world of professional sports to the general public. In administering the treatment, a PRP doctor can treat a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis of the knee. After the patient is deemed to be a good candidate, the PRP doctor takes a small amount of blood from the patient. The blood sample is then processed in a special machine that separates the blood into red and white blood cells and the plasma itself. The breakdown looks like this:
- Plasma, with a low percentage of platelets: about 55%.
- Red blood cells: about 45%.
- White blood cells: about 1%.
After the plasma is removed from the blood sample, it is combined with other natural materials in preparation for injection into the knee area. Depending on the nature and severity of your knee condition, our PRP doctor may administer one injection only, or you may receive a series of injections spread out over a period of weeks or months.
The Many Benefits of PRP
Platelets allow the body to clot the loss of blood and heal from injuries. Ideally, when the body sustains an injury, platelets respond from other areas of the body to the region that has experienced trauma. When they are injected into the knee for example, the platelets immediately begin to repair the trauma or condition by delivering healthy stem cells to that area. This is effective for tendon, ligament, and muscle recovery and can greatly speed recovery time. If your knee condition or injury has limited your range of motion and prevented you from enjoying your favorite sport or hampered your ability to walk without pain, PRP treatment might accelerate your healing process. Every case is different, and it is only after an exam and diagnosis that our PRP doctor can provide you with an accurate estimate of what you can expect for results.
Knee Issues that Can Be Treated with PRP Therapy
Some of the most common knee conditions that prompt patients seek PRP therapy include:
- Nerve entrapment syndrome
- Knee instability and sprains
- Knee osteoarthritis
- Patellofemoral syndrome
- Patellar tendonitis
If you’re considering PRP therapy, contact a knee pain specialist today to see how PRP can help you.
