Tired of relying on pain medications for joint relief? Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy harnesses your body’s organic healing powers to treat aging joints and restore function naturally.
Dr. Rostam Khoshsar and Dr. Adrian Darryll Sulindro of BioHealth Pain Management in Southern California are committed to offering patients the most advanced treatments for pain relief, including PRP therapy.
These pain management experts have helped countless patients at their offices in Lawndale, Whittier, and Arcadia, California, with PRP therapy. Here’s what they want anyone who suffers from joint pain to know about this groundbreaking treatment.
Platelet-rich plasma is a product derived from a sample of your blood, comprising liquid plasma and platelets, tiny cell fragments that contain proteins called growth factors.
Platelets aid in wound repair, helping blood clot after a cut or other injury. Their growth factors also help repair damaged tissue by spurring new tissue growth and natural restoration processes.
PRP therapy starts with your provider extracting a small amount of blood, similar to a blood draw during your annual exam. They place the sample in a machine to separate the plasma and platelets, concentrating these components before reinjecting them into your tissues.
Age-related joint pain and stiffness typically result from years of wear-and-tear on the joint surfaces. As the protective layer of cartilage thins out and wears down, your joints don’t move as smoothly. You may experience stiffness and pain, common symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA).
That pain and stiffness are partly due to joint inflammation that worsens as cartilage on the joint surface wears. Cartilage has no blood supply; it can’t repair itself quickly. The ongoing inflammatory process leads to more joint tissue damage, pain, and stiffness.
PRP injections help mitigate inflammation-related damage in several ways. First, the injections create a tiny micro-injury that triggers natural healing processes directly at the injury site.
At the same time, those tiny platelets start the repair process, promoting the growth of new, healthy tissue to repair or replace damaged tissue inside and around the joint. Finally, PRP can also help reduce inflammation, giving your joint time to heal.
PRP can be used alone or in tandem with other treatments and dosed like a traditional medicine. Best of all, injections can be repeated to improve joint health and function.
Performed on an outpatient basis, PRP therapy can cause some mild tenderness near the injection area, similar to the tenderness you’d feel from any injection.
Restrict your activities for a couple of weeks, specifically weight-bearing or repetitive activities that put extra strain on the treated joint.
Age-related joint pain is a common cause of mobility issues that can affect the way you interact with others and the world around you — and chronic pain can take a toll on your emotional wellness too.
To learn more about PRP therapy and how it can help relieve your joint pain, book a consultation with the experts at BioHealth Pain Management today. Call the location closest to you or request an appointment online today.
