Chances are, you’ll experience a joint injury at some point. Millions of Americans experience sports-related knee injuries each year. Many more develop pain from wear-and-tear injuries of the knees, shoulders, or hips, brought on by overuse and osteoarthritis (OA).
Once you’ve suffered a joint injury, appropriate treatment can help turn your symptoms around, enhance healing, and stave off potential complications down the road. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is one promising option.
Board-certified orthopedic sports medicine surgeon Dr. Stephen Fisher and the team at our offices in Cumming and Buford, Georgia, provide joint preservation care — including PRP therapy — to help you delay or avoid the need for joint replacement surgery.
If you’re bothered by a joint injury, you may want to consider this minimally invasive treatment.
PRP therapy uses platelets from your blood to bolster healing and reduce pain, thanks to their natural healing properties. Quite versatile, PRP is used to treat acute and chronic joint conditions, such as tennis elbow and jumper’s knee, that often take a long time to heal.
Each PRP treatment takes place during a short visit to our office. Your provider takes a small sample of your blood and runs it through a centrifuge to separate and concentrate the platelets. They then inject the platelet-rich blood into the affected joint.
Following your treatment, you’ll likely notice benefits within several weeks. And because PRP therapy uses your own blood and only quick injections with a small needle, you needn’t worry about allergic reactions or surgery-related risks.
While individual results vary, PRP therapy can help. One study showed that the injections significantly reduced pain and improved flexibility in people with knee osteoarthritis. Patients who benefited the most received three follow-up PRP treatments.
The researchers called PRP therapy a convenient, safe, and low-cost treatment for knee OA that brings encouraging outcomes.
PRP may also effectively improve the function of your injured joint and serve as an alternative to joint replacement if you’re not a good candidate for surgery.
And because PRP injections have been shown to bring faster joint healing compared with a wait-and-see or rest-only approach, you might get back to your usual activities sooner.
You might even continue to benefit from PRP a full year after your treatment, as your body continues to heal and regenerate tissues.
To learn more about PRP for joint injuries or get the care you need, call one of our convenient locations or book an appointment through our website today.
We offer treatment for shoulder pain, shoulder injury, knee pain, ACL Reconstruction surgery, and more. Call us to book your appointment today.
Dr. Fisher is now offering Shoulder Replacement Surgery. Call us to book your appointment today.
