PRP: Is It Safe?

The human body is an engineering marvel and designed to be mostly self-sufficient thanks in large part to its ability to heal itself. There are times, however, when the damage can overwhelm this healing system, and we turn to interventional therapies. 

While effective, we still believe that using the body’s built-in ability to regenerate, repair, and rebuild is optimal, which is why we are proud to offer platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy at our offices in Santa Rosa and Petaluma, California.

Managing your pain is the specialty of our team here at Summit Pain Alliance. As part of this effort, we turn to regenerative medicine therapies, such as PRP.

Here’s a look at how PRP works and whether this therapy is safe.

The power of platelets

Your blood contains four ingredients:

• White blood cells
• Red blood cells
• Plasma
• Platelets

One of the primary functions of your platelets is to clot your blood. Once your platelets accomplish this task, however, their job is far from complete. Next, your platelets release powerful growth factors that help build the ultimate environment for healing and repair.

A power from within

To tap the regenerative power of your platelets, we draw a sample of your blood and use a special centrifuge to separate out the platelets. We then take this concentrate, mix it back in with your plasma, and direct these enhanced resources into your damaged tissues.

This process is what we call “autologous” — a technique in which we use resources already found within your own body (we’re simply redirecting them for better effect).

What this means is that PRP therapy is a relatively safe treatment as your body readily accepts and integrates its own resources.

The only real risk, and it’s small, is an infection at your injection sites. You may also feel some soreness, but this side effect is easily remedied with ice and over-the-counter medications.

PRP is so safe that we use it to treat several painful conditions, including:

• Joint pain
• Neck pain
• Back pain
• Arthritis
• Knee pain

That is only a short list of the conditions PRP can treat. Ask our team if the pain you’re experiencing can be improved with PRP. 

Most of our patients undergo a series of PRP treatments, which we space apart to allow time for the growth factors to do their jobs.

If you have any further questions about the safety of PRP or you’d like to find out whether the treatment is right for you, please contact one of our locations in Santa Rosa or Petaluma, California, to set up a consultation.