Platelet-rich plasma therapy, or PRP, is fast gaining in popularity in orthopedic circles as an effective tool in promoting healing. At Powell Orthopedics, Dr. Mark W. Powell uses PRP to help his patients in Fayetteville and Bentonville, Arkansas, recover more quickly from soft tissue injuries by drawing on their body’s own natural resources. To learn more about how PRP can help you, call or book an appointment online.
To better understand platelet-rich plasma or PRP, it’s helpful to take a step back and understand how your body heals. Your blood contains three important types of cells:
These three components are housed in a liquid called plasma, which allows the cells to travel freely throughout your body.
The platelets in your blood, which are responsible for blood clotting, also contain hundreds of proteins or growth factors. These growth factors help your body to heal by stimulating new growth of healthy cells.
Recognizing the powerful role that platelets play in healing, the medical community has figured out a way to isolate them for use in injury recovery and regeneration.
At Powell Orthopedics, Dr. Powell first draws your blood, which he places in a centrifuge. After the blood components are separated, he takes the platelet concentrate and mixes it back in with your plasma, creating a concentrate of platelets that’s 5-10 times greater than what’s in your normal blood.
Dr. Powell then injects this platelet-rich plasma into your injured or damaged tissue to promote accelerated healing and regeneration.
As an orthopedic doctor, Dr. Powell specializes in all things musculoskeletal, which means that PRP therapy has a potential role in many of the areas he treats, such as:
Dr. Powell may also use PRP therapy to help patients heal more quickly after orthopedic surgery.
The full scope of PRP therapy has yet to be uncovered as a healing and regenerative tool, but it does offer a potentially powerful resource that has several advantages, including:
To find out how PRP therapy can help you heal more quickly from injury or disease, call Powell Orthopedics, or use the online booking tool to schedule a consultation.