PRP Injection Specialist

Ortho 1 Medical Group

Orthopedic Specialists located in La Jolla, CA & Chula Vista, CA

When it comes to healing, sometimes your body is already equipped with the best tools, which is the case with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy. Through PRP injections, the team of board-certified orthopedic surgeons at Ortho 1 Medical Group is helping patients recover more quickly from injury or degenerative conditions by tapping into their body's own healing resources. If you're in San Diego, Chula Vista, La Jolla, and Coronado, California, and you'd like to learn more about how PRP injections can help you, call the office nearest you or use the online scheduling tool.

PRP Injection Q&A

What is a PRP injection?

A PRP injection is a nonsurgical procedure that involves using a patient's own blood platelets to heal damage in joints and surrounding tissues, including muscles, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage.

Your blood is made up of four main components: red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Platelets are largely responsible for the clotting of your blood, but they also contain healing resources in the form of proteins called growth factors, which your platelets release in areas that the body senses are damaged or injured.

In recognizing the role that your platelets play in your body, physicians and researchers have discovered ways to harness the healing and recovery function of these proteins, directing them to specific areas by way of injection to accelerate the healing process.

What happens during a PRP injection?

A PRP injection involves two phases. First, your provider takes a sample of your blood and places it into a centrifuge to separate blood platelets and plasma fluids from the other components of blood.

Once isolated, they inject the platelet concentrate — which is vastly higher than normal — directly into the damaged tissue. The platelets release the growth factors and proteins that help with cell repair and renewal.

Additionally, introducing these platelets into your damaged tissue encourages your body to respond in kind and send in more healing resources.

What conditions can PRP injections treat?

PRP therapy is available to help treat:

Ligament injuries
Tendon disorders, including tears and tendinitis
Arthritis
Some fractures
Muscle strains and tears

Ultimately, physicians have found that PRP provides a healing effect that reduces pain and swelling and speeds recovery for many slow-to-heal conditions, such as chronic tendinitis, acute ligament and muscle injuries, and arthritis.

Are PRP injections safe?

The components in the PRP injections are your own tissue and therefore recognized by your immune system as belonging to your body. For this reason, the risk of rejecting the platelets is minimal.

After treatment, you may experience a mild ache or throbbing at the injection site that lasts for two to three days. You can ease discomfort by using over-the-counter pain relievers.

If you think you may benefit from PRP injections, call Ortho 1 Medical Group or request an appointment using the online scheduling tool.

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