Platelet Rich Plasma for Arthritis

What Is Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy?

Platelet-rich plasma refers to some of the vital healing elements within your blood. All the blood in the human body contains the following:

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

Plasma consists of water and various proteins which help your blood circulate around your body. Platelets refer to a type of blood cell within plasma that contains proteins known as cytokines that promote tissue regrowth. PRP therapy involves separating your red and white blood cells so only healing platelets remain in a plasma sample.

Doctors then inject the sample into targeted areas of the body to stimulate tissue repair. This natural treatment plan relies on your own blood supply rather than medications or invasive procedures to heal injuries.

The Positive Effects of PRP Therapy

With minimal downtime and fast pain relief, PRP injections have become an increasingly popular way to treat various health concerns. At Connecticut Pain Solutions, we administer platelet-rich plasma injections to help patients heal from surgical wounds as well as promote skin rejuvenation. We also use PRP for arthritis patients who report stiffness and pain in their joints.

This treatment helps reduce inflammation and fight infections within your body. It promotes cell regrowth for optimal wound healing and skin tightening. Best of all, this safe therapy comes with minimal side effects, and the results can last for months.

PRP for Osteoarthritis Patients

If you experience pain in your joints, you should consider getting a PRP treatment at Connecticut Pain Solutions. This treatment works especially well for osteoarthritis patients who experience moderate pain that keeps them from doing their necessary or favorite daily activities. This degenerative condition causes your joint tissue to break down over time, creating pain or stiffness in major parts of the body, including:

• Lower back
• Neck
• Hips
• Hands
• Knees

Although doctors see osteoarthritis most commonly in people over the age of 50, it can also affect younger patients, particularly those who suffer from a joint injury. The nature of the disease means that delicate joint tissue will continue to deteriorate and escalate one's pain level. Using PRP for arthritis treatment helps slow this deterioration by promoting new tissue growth and reducing joint inflammation.

Medical professionals also believe that PRP for osteoarthritis is effective because the plasma injections increase the body's production of fluids. This ultimately helps to lubricate your joints and relieve stiffness.

PRP for Knee Arthritis

Studies show that PRP for knee arthritis, in particular, helps patients experience pain relief. The knees endure a lot of stress just by carrying your body weight and undergoing physical activity. With a PRP injection, knee pain can lessen for overweight patients as well as athletes who suffer a sports injury due to overuse.

Arthritis patients often experience debilitating knee pain without doing any strenuous activity. This chronic pain may not always respond to alternative treatments like medication or physical therapy. If you need immediate knee pain relief, consider PRP for arthritis.

Many patients respond well to this treatment even if other therapies don't bring relief. PRP for arthritis also offers an effective alternative for those who are wary about surgical treatments, such as a knee replacement.

What To Expect When You Receive Arthritis PRP Treatment at Connecticut Pain Solutions

Does the idea of platelet-rich plasma therapy appeal to you for arthritis pain relief? Discover everything in store for you when you opt to receive treatment at our facility. We take each patient through the following steps when they seek PRP therapy.

Initial Consultation

The first step toward pain relief begins with contacting our office and setting up an initial consultation with Dr. Turok. This helps our team understand your arthritis symptoms and medical history. Note that you possibly might not be a suitable candidate for PRP therapy, depending on other health conditions you have or the medications you currently take.

During this consultation, we'll assess your overall health and determine the proper course of treatment. Every arthritis PRP treatment will vary based on the individual patient and their symptoms. You might need one injection to treat mild pain, or the appointment could involve three or more injections.

The doctor will come to this determination after getting your medical history and running diagnostic tests. You'll need to undergo an MRI or ultrasound to see how much cartilage damage there is. The results of these tests usually dictate how much platelet-rich plasma we need to inject in certain areas.

Blood Draw and PRP Injections

After your initial consultation, we'll schedule your treatment. Getting PRP for arthritis involves a quick, outpatient service that is similar to getting blood work done. We'll bring you into a patient room where a staff member will draw a small amount of blood to use in the therapy.

We then place your blood sample in a device called a centrifuge, which separates the platelets from the red and white blood cells. The separation process takes about 15 minutes so you can relax at this time while our team prepares your PRP vial. Once we’ve removed the platelets, we'll place them into a syringe and inject them back into your body at the site of your pain.

The entire process takes less than an hour. We'll give you various aftercare instructions for the best results and often recommend post-injection physical therapy to help your joints regain strength and flexibility.

Recovery Period

Recovering from PRP injections involves straightforward instructions for every patient. These include:

• Resting for the first 24 hours after a PRP arthritis knee injection before returning to daily activities.

You shouldn't experience any severe side effects from treatment. The most common side effect is pain or tenderness at the injection site. Taking a recommended over-the-counter pain reliever can help.

Follow-Up Appointment

You will experience pain relief after your initial PRP treatment but will need to come back for a follow-up appointment a few weeks later. This checkup serves as a chance for the doctor to monitor your progress and evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. If everything appears fine, your body should continue to produce collagen to repair the damaged tissue in your joints.

Most patients report pain relief for six months to up to a year after we first inject PRP into the joints.

How PRP Therapy Compares to Other Arthritis Treatments

If you suffer from arthritis and want relief from your symptoms, you have a few options for treatment. Platelet-rich plasma injections have proven benefits over other courses of treatment, which may influence your decision. Check out how PRP for arthritis compares to other common treatment plans.

Oral Medications

Taking an over-the-counter pain reliever is often the first route people take for treating arthritis pain. You might experience relief, but unfortunately, these medications only work for so long. The pain will often return after a few hours and puts you right back at square one.

Prescription medications could be a bit stronger yet continue to be a short-term solution. As your joint tissue continues to deteriorate, you'll need a way to repair it rather than masking the pain.

Steroid Injections

Many arthritis patients receive injections of a corticosteroid for relief. These shots prove effective at relieving joint pain, although they still represent another short-term solution. Studies show that patients who undergo PRP therapy experience less pain over time compared to those who receive corticosteroid injections.

The healing properties and growth factors in platelet-rich plasma make it a much more effective option over time. You can receive your initial injections and live pain-free for over a year, while steroid injections will need to be a frequent form of treatment.

Physical Therapy

When it comes to sports injuries, PRP therapy has its advantages, but strengthening the joints and muscles in physical therapy can often heal the injury over time. PRP for arthritis is a preferred choice rather than only physical therapy. While physical therapy works to improve flexibility and mobility, it doesn't address the internal degeneration of your cartilage and joint tissue when you have arthritis.

A successful course of treatment involves PRP injections into your joints to repair the tissue. As your body produces more collagen after the injections, you can supplement PRP therapy with physical therapy. This combination of the two ensures that you'll experience pain relief while strengthening your weakened joints.

Surgery

Major surgeries like knee and hip replacements carry risks and come with an extensive recovery period. Patients often opt for surgical treatment for arthritis as a last resort. If you don't respond well to medications or steroid injections, consider scheduling PRP treatment at Connecticut Pain Solutions.

You can live life without pain and can avoid procedures that require a lot of downtime. Consult with a physician to see if PRP for arthritis is a suitable option for you or if your joints are too damaged and require surgical repairs.

Are You the Ideal Candidate for PRP Treatment?

Give us a call if you believe that platelet-rich plasma therapy can relieve your arthritis symptoms. We'll schedule a consultation to make sure that you're a viable candidate for treatment. We recommend getting PRP for arthritis pain if you meet the following criteria:

• You don't respond to conservative treatments like medication and physical therapy.
• You are in otherwise good health.

Why Choose Us for Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy

Arthritis pain is no joke and deserves to be taken seriously. At Connecticut Pain Solutions, we understand the toll this disease takes on your body and promise to provide you with relief. Our caring medical staff remains dedicated to your comfort and will go the extra mile to help you leave our facility feeling better than you did before.

Our platelet-rich plasma therapy helps countless patients who are either healing from a surgical wound, rehabilitating a sports injury, or coping with tissue loss due to arthritis. This innovative treatment is completely safe and natural since it doesn't involve any medications other than your own blood sample. You'll experience relief with one short appointment and can continue to reap the benefits of PRP for arthritis for several months.

We take pride in helping people like you say "goodbye" to achy joints. Dr. Turok and the rest of our compassionate team will gladly answer any questions you have and make you feel comfortable during treatment.

Don't suffer from unnecessary joint pain due to arthritis. Visit Connecticut Pain Solutions for a platelet-rich plasma treatment that alleviates aches and soreness in your muscles and ligaments. Give us a call at (203) 626-9080 to schedule your PRP treatment at either our Wallingford or Ridgefield office.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Drive After Getting a PRP Arthritis Knee Injection?

Yes, you can drive home after treatment as long as the injection isn't in your right knee or ankle.

How Many PRP Injections Will I Need?

You may receive between one and three injections, depending on your symptoms and diagnostic test results.

Is PRP for Arthritis Safe?

Yes, PRP treatment is extremely safe for the ideal candidate. It comes with minimal risks of infections and severe side effects.