Dr. Warren J. Bleiweiss Blogs

Regenerative Medicine: Healing with PRP Therapy

doctor injecting prp treatment into the knee joint

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is an innovative treatment that harnesses your own blood’s platelets to heal specific issues in your own body. PRP has been successful in treating many types of orthopedic conditions and injuries, such as chronic joint pain, tendonitis, early osteoarthritis, soft tissue injuries, and repairing ligaments, muscles, and cartilage.

PRP is considered part of regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine involves using natural cells to regenerate tissues that are damaged, diseased, or defective, and to restore normal function.

PRP treatment utilizes platelets from your own blood to stimulate your body’s natural healing process. Platelets release important growth factors in higher concentrations which can help to trigger cell production, speed up healing, and regenerate healthy tissue in the treated area.

What Does PRP Therapy Involve?

This treatment involves your doctor drawing a small sample of your blood, (like a lab test sample), and placing it in a centrifuge to separate the platelets from the rest of the blood. The platelet-rich plasma solution is then injected into the treatment area to promote tissue formation and healing.

The PRP interacts with local cells, triggering them to develop new tissue. For example, PRP injections can help to repair parts of the body including cartilage, ligaments, muscles, tendons, and even bone.

Treatment can help to:

  • Repair damaged tissue.
  • Relieve symptoms of pain.
  • Reduce and prevent inflammation.
  • Improve physical function and mobility.
  • Diminish the progression of joint degeneration and osteoarthritis.

A PRP treatment is a simple and relatively quick office procedure. Most people can resume their normal activities immediately after having the treatment. You may notice an improvement in your symptoms immediately, or it can take a couple of weeks for the treatment to relieve pain and improve your mobility.

Is PRP Treatment Painful?

Usually, PRP injections are not reported to be painful. Some patients experience minor discomfort, such as soreness and aching at the injection site, but this is usually temporary. A local anesthetic may be used to numb the area before injecting the PRP treatment, but this depends on the area being treated.

What Conditions Can PRP Therapy Treat?

PRP treatments have been found to effectively treat many different conditions and injuries, including:

  • Joint pain
  • Arthritis
  • Joint degeneration
  • Tendonitis
  • Cartilage injury
  • Ligament tears, such as rotator cuff or ACL tears
  • Wound care

Other Platelet-Rich Plasma Treatments

Dr. Warren Bleiweiss uses a technique to supercharge the PRP treatments. Photo-activation, platelet-rich plasma (PA-PRP) is a method of using low-level light irradiation to activate the PRP. PA-PRP has been found to be more potent than standard PRP.

In a double-blind, randomized study, 37 patients with KOA were separated into two groups. The first group had 11 or 30% of treated patients, and the second group had 12 or 32% of the patients. Neither the physicians nor the patients knew which patient received PA-PRP versus injection of one of the typical treatments of hyaluronic acid.

The results showed that the group that received the PA-PRP had better pain management and better quality of life at 4- and 12-week intervals, based on standardized measuring scales. The PA-PRP group also showed an increase in distance, hopping, and knee bends performed in 30 seconds both at the same intervals.

The HA group only showed improvement in the Knee OA outcome score. And the patients didn’t report any improvement until the 12-week interval. No other changes in the HA group were noted.

Alternative Disc Therapy and Dr. Bleiweiss use 3 different wavelengths of light to produce the PA-PRP. The treatment is one of the best treatments for KOA studied in the US. 

Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy in Caldwell, New Jersey

If you have chronic joint pain, arthritis, or an orthopedic injury, or you wish to have a consultation about regenerative medicine, contact the experts at Alternative Disc Therapy.  Dr. Warren J. Bleiweiss offers regenerative medicine treatments including PRP therapy to provide long-lasting pain relief.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation with Dr. Bleiweiss, contact our friendly staff today by calling us at (973) 403-3334 or by filling out our appointment request form online now. We also offer telemedicine appointments for your convenience. We look forward to serving you!