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What is Platelet Rich Plasma?

What is Platelet Rich Plasma?

My team dedicates an inordinate amount of time answering questions and attempting to clarify the misunderstanding of patients when it comes to Platelet Rich Plasma; actually, the entire subspecialty of “Stem Cell Therapy” but let’s start with PRP. As an orthopedic surgeon who introduced Cellular Orthopedics to the Midwest five years ago, I am in a unique position to help define the problem.  Does PRP have a role in treating a painful or injured part of the musculoskeletal system? In an attempt to help clarify misconceptions and better define the term Platelet Rich Plasma, I sat down and wrote this Blog.

Platelets circulating in the blood play a fundamental role in blood clotting and are a natural source of growth factors. Platelet rich plasma (PRP), also termed autologous platelet gel, plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF), platelet concentrate (PC), is essentially an increased concentration of (autologous) your platelets suspended in a small amount of plasma after centrifugation. Although it is not exactly clear how PRP works, laboratory studies have shown that the increased concentration of growth factors in PRP can potentially speed up the healing process.

The amount of PRP necessary to achieve the intended biologic effects still remains unclear.; but we know PRP contains growth factors in high concentrations. Precise predictions of growth factor levels based on the platelet counts of whole blood or PRP are limited. In our office, we use a hemocytometer to count platelets and the different white blood cells contained in the preparation.  Knowing there are different sources for growth factors (platelets, leukocytes, plasma), we assume the higher number of platelets and leukocytes counted in the hemocytometer, the higher the concentration of growth factors in the preparation. Treatments using these autologous platelet growth factors are an important reason to improve methods for isolating platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and that is why I am involved in an initiative to correlate counts with clinical outcomes.

PRP proponents assert that concentrated Platelet Rich Plasma fails to successfully treat symptoms in some cases because of differences in PRP formulation. There is no standardization thus leading to variables, such as PRP preparation methods, the amount of PRP injected, and the frequency of injections. These inconsistencies result in issues raised by patients: “PRP didn’t work for me” and “I had 15 PRP injections to my knee and I still have pain”. In addition to studying the numbers and monitoring results, I am involved with initiatives to filter and concentrate the growth factors in PRP so as to improve outcomes as well.

1)Platelet Rich Plasma

2)Concentrated Platelet Rich Plasma

3)Concentrated Stem Cell Plasma

4)Autologous Platelet and Growth Factor Concentrate

When you call (312- 475- 1893) to schedule a consultation or watch my webinar at www.Ilcelulartherapy.com, you will avail yourself of the aforementioned Platelet Rich Plasma treatment options in addition to our entire Cellular Orthopedic menu of regenerative care.

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