Growth Factor Power: Understanding How PRP Works to Promote Healing

Got joint pain?

How about injuries to your musculoskeletal system?

Or pain from the normal wear-and-tear that catches up to your body after so many years?

At the PRO Institute, we have a cutting-edge solution that jumpstarts your body’s natural healing processes to relieve your pain and return your body to normal functioning.

It’s called PRP therapy. Here’s how it works to promote healing.

What is PRP therapy?

First things first. PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma. Platelets are a part of your blood supply. Not only do they play a role in clotting, they also contain proteins called growth factors, which are responsible for the healing mechanism your body activates when you’re injured.

If these platelets are present in your blood in high concentrations, they can harness the immense power of your own body to heal itself through tissue repair and regeneration. The necessary concentration is more than occurs naturally in your body, so we take a sample of your blood and centrifuge it to create plasma with that high concentration of platelets.

We then use ultrasound guidance to ensure the most effective placement as we inject the PRP into the injury site. 

What conditions can PRP treat?

PRP therapy is especially effective at treating many joint, muscle, and bone injuries. Common conditions we treat with PRP therapy include tennis elbow, Achilles tendinitis, hip bursitis, plantar fasciitis, knee arthritis, frozen shoulder, and more.

Dr. Gayan Poovendran does a physical exam and listens to your medical history and your goals before making a diagnosis and customizing your treatment plan. 

Why is PRP therapy so effective?

The growth factors in the platelets are the superheroes of this process. They start by helping to ease your body’s immune response by reducing inflammation in soft tissues such as muscles and ligaments.

They also stimulate the production of new collagen in your body, which leads to stronger tissues, such as your ligaments, which in turn helps reduce your pain.

Growth factors also help produce new blood vessels, which increases the supply of blood to the injury site. Because your blood delivers oxygen and other nutrients, the additional blood helps speed healing along.

PRP also helps the process of regenerating new tissue by signaling stem cells in your body to multiply and differentiate into the types of cells your body needs for healing of the site.

If you’re ready to explore PRP therapy as a treatment option, our team at PRO Institute will be happy to serve you. Call our Davie, Florida, office to set up an appointment, or book your own with our convenient online scheduler.