What is Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)?
What is Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)?

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a substance that’s thought to promote healing when injected. Plasma is a component of your blood that contains special “factors,” or proteins, that help your blood to clot. It also contains proteins that support cell growth. Researchers have produced PRP by isolating plasma from blood and concentrating it.

The idea is that injecting PRP into damaged tissues will stimulate your body to grow new, healthy cells and promote healing. Because the tissue growth factors are more concentrated in the prepared growth injections, researchers think the body’s tissues may heal faster.

The treatment hasn’t been definitively proven. It also hasn’t been approved as a treatment by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, famous athletes have been known to use these injections to help heal injuries.

What are the purposes of Platelet-Rich Plasma PRP injections?

Researchers are trying out PRP injections across a number of applications. Examples of these include:

  • Hair loss. Doctors have injected PRP into the scalp to promote hair growth and prevent hair loss. According to research from 2014, PRP injections are effective in treating androgenic alopecia, also known as male pattern baldness.
  • Tendon injuries. Tendons are tough, thick bands of tissue that connect muscle to bone. They are usually slow to heal after injury. Doctors have used PRP injections to treat chronic tendon problems, such as tennis elbow, Achilles tendonitis at the ankle, and jumper’s knee, which causes pain in the patellar tendon in the knee.
  • Acute injuries. Doctors have used PRP injections to treat acute sports injuries, such as pulled hamstring muscles or knee sprains.
  • Postsurgical repair. Sometimes doctors use PRP injections after surgery to repair a torn tendon (such as a rotator cuff tendon in the shoulder) or ligaments (such as the anterior cruciate ligament).
  • Osteoarthritis. PRP injections in the knee may help people with osteoarthritis. A 2015 study found that PRP injections were more effective than hyaluronic acid injections (a traditional therapy) for treating osteoarthritis. However, the trial was a small group of 160 people, so larger trials are needed for this to be conclusive. It’s important to note that none of these uses have been definitively proven to provide results.

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