Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy Effective Tool for Many

30 Apr Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy Effective Tool for Many

Individuals suffering from degenerative joint disease and soft tissue injury to tendons, muscles and ligaments now have another non-surgical alternative. Called Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy, the in-office procedure isolates growth-factor rich platelets from the patient’s own blood and uses this potent concentrate to catalyze the growth of new tissue and promote healing.

Dr. Ajay Yeddu is one of a select few board certified physicians in the Southeast Valley offering this treatment. One of the Valley’s premier providers of advanced interventional non-surgical spine treatments, Dr. Yeddu is enthusiastic about PRP’s track record.

“While this type of therapy has been used for years in the treatment of wound management,” he said, “recent studies have shown this to be a safe and effective treatment for a number of spine and joint diseases and injuries. With a success rate of almost 80 percent, the best thing about this therapy is that there is no down side. Since we are injecting the patient’s own blood, it is extremely safe.”

The treatment is limited to those who have not had surgery but have been unsuccessful with other treatment options. It is performed in-office and begins with the patient giving blood which is then placed in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets. The site of pain is then prepared and numbed with local anesthetic before the PRP concentrate is injected into the damaged tissue with the use of fluoroscopy or ul¬trasound.

The entire procedure usually takes about one hour. Recovery depends on the specifics of the damaged area but is much quicker than following surgical intervention. PRP injections may be repeated over several months to maximize the benefit of the therapy.