Platelet-rich plasma or PRP is an "autologous blood therapy" that uses a patient's own blood components to stimulate a healing response in damaged tissues, particularly tendons and ligaments. In response to an injury, your body naturally recruits platelets and white blood cells from the blood to initiate a healing response. Under normal conditions, platelets store numerous growth factors which are released in response to signals from the injured tissue. With PRP technology, we use a special centrifuge to concentrate platelets and white blood cells taken from your own blood and then inject the solution directly into the injured tissue. This induces the release of growth factors, simulating the body's natural healing response but in a more powerful form. As a result, PRP can often accelerate healing in damaged ligaments and tendons, shorton rehabilitation time, and possibly obviate the need for surgery.
What conditions can be treated with PRP?
PRP can be used for foot and ankle problems including:
- plantar fascitis (heel pain)
- achilles tendonitis
- partial tears of the achilles tendon
- peroneal tendonitis
- posterior tibial tendonitis
Are PRP injections safe?
Research and clinical data show that PRP injections are extremely safe, with minimal risk for any adverse reaction or complication. Because PRP is produced from your own blood, there is no concern for rejection or disease transmission. There is a small risk of infection from any injection into the body, but this is rare.