Platelet Rich Plasma New Therapy Allows Rotator Cuff Treatment Without Surgery

Platelet Rich Plasma
New Therapy Allows Rotator Cuff Treatment Without Surgery

There is a new treatment for rotator cuff injuries that is saving many people from surgical intervention. So what is this new treatment? Perhaps youve heard about it. Recently its been all over the news including the New York Times, Good Morning America and our own local Channel 9 News. It all started after two of the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburg Steelers got a new treatment called PRP in the elbow and knee just weeks before the Super Bowl. Did it work? Well, they both played in the Super Bowl and they won. This exciting new therapy is not just for elbows and knees, but also for shoulder injuries, including rotator cuff problems. It is now available for the general public, not just professional athletes.

Injuries to the Rotator Cuff and
Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy

PRP offers a way to help the body heal naturally from musculoskeletal injuries. It can reduce pain and stimulate repairs from a variety of injuries, including of the rotator cuff, which is a group of four muscles and tendons that surround your shoulder joint.

Rotator cuff tears generally refer to tears of the tendons surrounding your bone. Treatment of these tears with PRP effectively heals them through a concentrated injection of platelets, one of the components of whole blood, into and around the injury site.

Unlike cortisone and hyaluronic acid injections, which provide temporary pain relief, PRP addresses the underlying problem the actual damage done to injured tissues. PRP makes use of a patients own blood platelets to provide relief as well as healing for patients suffering from a variety of problems, ushering in a brand new age in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain and injury.

The Power of Platelets

These remarkable results are made possible because researchers have found a way to concentrate platelets, one of the components of whole blood, and harness their powerful properties.

Platelets are most commonly known for their clotting function, but they also store several different types of growth factors that form the basis of the healing process. PRP contains a concentration of these growth factors, and this concentration increases their efficiency in attracting stem cells and activating them to repair damaged tissues.

What to Expect

PRP therapy is performed in the comfort of your pain specialists office. It takes one hour to collect the blood, concentrate the platelets, and re-inject the PRP solution around the injured site. Because the patients own blood supply is used, there is no risk of disease transmission.

Patients should remember that this is not a “quick fix,” like a cortisone shot for pain relief, but a real repair that takes time to develop. Many patients start to notice improvement within two to four weeks after their initial PRP injection.

With PRP, patients who experience musculoskeletal pain that fails to respond to other treatments may now have a safe, effective, natural option for achieving pain relief as well as promoting real healing.

PRP can also be used to treat moderate arthritis of the knee, hip, shoulder and spine. While it doesnt reverse the arthritic process, it can strengthen the joint, reduce pain and improve your quality of life.