At Long Island Spine Rehabilitation Medicine, our dedication to nonsurgical pain management and restoration of function has led us to explore and offer a broad spectrum of treatment methods, including PRP (platelet-rich plasma) therapy. Through experience, we have become more and more convinced that our original premise was correct: doctors have to be open to complementary, traditional, and innovative approaches to medicine since responses to treatment differ widely from person to person.
While one patient’s spinal or musculoskeletal condition may be majorly improved by physical therapy or therapeutic injections, another patient with the same problem may be resistant to these treatments. This is why our practice offers so many options. If you are suffering pain and difficulty with mobility, why not make an appointment with one of our doctors to discuss the various hope-inspiring possibilities?
What Is PRP Therapy?
PRP is a relatively new type of regenerative medicine that uses a specially concentrated mixture of a patient’s own platelets to promote healing of spinal, musculoskeletal, and other tissues. First, we draw blood from the patient. Then, platelets, tiny cells in the blood that assist with clotting and are rich in growth factors, are separated from the rest of the patient’s blood by being put through a centrifuge.
When the blood emerges from the centrifuge, it is “platelet-rich,” containing 5 to 10 times as many platelets as before, and ready to be put to work. We then inject the enriched plasma back into the patient, targeting the precise area where it will do the most good.
Before and After PRP Therapy
As with all medical procedures, we will take a full medical history and examine you prior to treatment. You should not receive PRP therapy if you have certain conditions, such as severe anemia or active cancer. You will be asked to avoid aspirin and other NSAIDs before, and for a period of time, after treatment.
Each PRP treatment takes an hour or a little more, including recovery time. It may take a few weeks or longer in order to feel the full benefit of the treatment. As far as the number of treatments necessary to feel the full benefits of PRP, this varies from patient to patient. In many cases, three is the magic number, but if you show complete relief after the first or second injection, you may not require any more.
Since you will be injected with your own blood and the procedure is performed under sterile conditions, there is minimal risk of any adverse reaction. You may experience increased soreness at the injection site for a few days after treatment and should rest the day of and/or after your therapy. You should also refrain from activities that involve the targeted area for as long as your doctor advises.
Specific Benefits of PRP
Many of our patients have been helped considerably by PRP therapy. We have found this to be especially true in patients who have not had much improvement after other kinds of treatments. PRP has been proven to:
- Decrease pain
- Stimulate healing
- Improves function (e.g. strength, flexibility, range of motion)
- Accelerate recovery from injury
PRP is a safe and often effective treatment, requiring minimal downtime. For some who have been suffering from chronic pain and dysfunction, it can be a wonderful remedy.
Different Kinds of PRP
There are several centrifuge machines that each generate PRP differently, resulting in variable concentrations and quality. At Long Island Spine Rehabilitation Medicine, we based our choice of a PRP production device on scientific literature, settling on a Pure PRP System that yields the highest concentrations of platelets and important growth factors, while removing the most impurities that would be counterproductive to healing.
Conditions Treated with PRP
Fortunately, PRP can be used to help heal both acute injuries and chronic conditions.
At our offices in Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens Counties, we treat many athletes, and sports enthusiasts of all ages. We also treat those who are suffering due to accidental falls, repetitive stress injuries, and injuries of unknown origin.
Some of the acute injuries PRP has helped us to heal include:
- MCL (medial collateral ligament) tears/sprains of the knee
- Rotator cuff and labral tears of the shoulder
- UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) tears of the elbow
- Hamstring tears of the thigh
PRP can also be remarkably helpful in breaking the pain cycle in which chronic injuries are prevented from healing normally by repeated trauma, disease, or the wear and tear of aging. These chronic conditions include:
- Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
- Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis)
- Tendonitis
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Spinal stenosis
- Osteoporosis
As you can see, a great many types of spinal or musculoskeletal damage can be helped by PRP treatments.
Contact Us Today — Our Skilled Doctors Have Extensive Experience with PRP Treatments
A consultation with Long Island Spine Rehabilitation Medicine may be a life-changing experience. We know all too well how miserable it is to live with pain. That’s why we have committed ourselves to relieve our patients’ suffering by all means possible. Give us a call and come in to discuss whether PRP is the proper treatment for you.