How PRP Can Treat Your Arthritis

If you suffer from arthritis, you aren’t alone. Nearly 60 million US adults suffer from arthritis, and one in four of these adults with arthritis experience severe joint pain. If you want relief that doesn’t involve invasive surgery or pain medications, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy may be for you.

At OasisMD, we believe in the power of regenerative medicine to utilize the power of your own body to help you heal. Our dedicated orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist Dr. David Chao and his team are committed to providing the best regenerative medicine treatments to patients.

With locations in Encinitas, San Diego, and Temecula, California, platelet-rich plasma therapy is available throughout the Southern California region. This regenerative medicine treatment helps boost your body’s natural healing process without too much interference in your daily lifestyle.

Keep reading to learn how PRP can help treat your arthritis—no drugs or incisions required!

All about platelets

PRP therapy is based on the use of platelets, cells that are found within your bloodstream. These disc-shaped cells help with clotting, but also contain growth factors that help cell regeneration and repair. These growth factors support many key functions, such as:

Improving recovery
Reducing inflammation
Relieving pain
Promoting a healing environment

Platelets also have cytokines, small proteins that assist in repair processes in your body. These cytokines can attract stem cells to heal injuries and damage. As such, platelets are essential in helping make sure your body recovers properly.

Understanding PRP

PRP therapy uses the platelets found inside your blood to expedite healing and new cell production. During a PRP therapy session, your provider draws blood from a vein in your arm. Then, they separate and concentrate the platelets in a centrifuge machine in-office. This creates a platelet-rich plasma.

Your provider then takes the concentrated platelet solution and injects it into your arthritic joints to relieve pain and promote new cell growth. This process takes about 30 minutes and requires no recovery time, so you can get back to your day.

Since PRP therapy uses your own blood, there is no risk of your body rejecting the concentrated platelet solution. Depending on your situation, you may need multiple treatments to achieve the best results.

PRP and arthritis relief

PRP therapy taps into your body’s natural healing process to help relieve arthritis. This avoids the use of pain medications, surgery, or injections that can disrupt your lifestyle or require long recovery times.

After the concentrated platelets are injected, the growth factors in your platelets get to work to reduce inflammation. This reduces pain and discomfort right away, making it easier to get back to your daily life.

The platelets start repairing arthritic damage on a cellular level after swelling is reduced in your affected joints. Full results average about 8-12 weeks. This can differ depending on your particular situation and conditions, so it could take more or less time.

Our providers often combine PRP with traditional arthritis therapies, such as prescriptive exercise, to achieve even better results. If you’re ready to say goodbye to arthritis pain and learn more about PRP therapy, contact one of our OasisMD locations, or request an appointment online now!