You have a sprained ankle or you’ve torn a ligament in your knee. Whatever the injury (or your activity level), you’re anxious to get back to functioning normally. We’ve long understood that your body heals at its own pace, but there are ways we can give this process a boost through regenerative medicine.
Whether you want to get back on the field or just be able to get around the grocery store, the team here at Valliant Life Medical does all that we can to help you heal safely and soundly after an injury. One way we can not only help you heal better, but also faster, is through regenerative medicine, namely platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy.
Here’s a look at how regenerative medicine can help with your recovery from an injury.
The orthopedic world was one of the first to recognize the power of platelets in helping people to heal from musculoskeletal injuries of all kinds, and athletes were at the forefront of these efforts. About five years ago, an estimated 86,000 athletes were treated with PRP therapy annually in the United States, and this number has grown by leaps and bounds as non-athletes recognize the power of platelets.
The platelets in your blood are responsible for initiating the wound healing cascade in your body, which includes controlling bleeding, regulating inflammation, and overseeing the availability of healing resources.
The goal with PRP therapy is to amplify this response with more platelets so you can heal more quickly from a musculoskeletal injury.
If you’re turning to PRP therapy to help accelerate your healing, the process is very simple. When you come in, we start by drawing a small amount of your blood. We then place your blood in a special centrifuge that separates out your platelets.
Once we have a concentrate of your platelets, we mix it back in with a small amount of your plasma and inject the healing boost directly into your damaged tissues.
In terms of time, our PRP treatments are quick and easy and there’s no downtime afterward, which means you can get on with your life.
In terms of safety, PRP treatments are considered quite safe since we’re using cells from your own body and simply redirecting them to another area.
It’s important to understand that we use PRP therapy to accelerate your healing process, but there’s still a process. You need to allow time for your body to respond to the treatment, and we often recommend a series of treatments, which we space apart.
As you progress, the platelets go to work to help your injury to heal, and we monitor you closely to ensure that everything goes smoothly. During this time, we may also suggest physical therapy, which also goes a long way toward healing from an injury.
It would be impossible to give you a more exact timeline here since it depends on many factors, such as the extent of the damage and how quickly your body responds.
If you’d like to explore regenerative medicine for your injury and get a more accurate timeline, please contact our office in Fort Worth, Texas, to set up an appointment with one of our musculoskeletal experts.
