PRP (platelet-rich plasma) treatment is a non-invasive treatment method that can be used to treat a wide array of medical conditions. At Westover Hills Dermatology in San Antonio, TX, we proudly offer this treatment due to the numerous benefits it can provide our clients. Read on to discover several of the benefits offered by PRP treatment.
What Are the Benefits of Getting PRP Treatment?
Accelerated Sports Injury Healing
One of the most compelling benefits of PRP treatment is that it can be used to accelerate sports injury healing. If you are suffering from a sports injury and rest, ice, compression, and elevation are not providing you with relief, PRP therapy may be right for you. PRP therapy will help your body heal itself thanks to the highly concentrated platelets injected into the area.
Regardless of whether you are suffering from a sports injury or another traumatic injury, PRP therapy will restore mobility and functionality to the injured joint, muscle, ligament, tendon, or other soft tissue.
Osteoarthritis Treatment
Another incredibly compelling benefit of PRP treatment is that it can be used to treat osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is one of the most common types of arthritis and causes extreme pain because there isn’t enough hyaluronic acid between the joints to lubricate and cushion them. Fortunately, due to the hepatocyte and synovial fibroblast growth factors present in platelets, hyaluronic acid production in the treated area increases, easing pain.
Inflammation Relief
PRP treatment can also provide you with inflammation relief. Depending on the part of the body that is injured and the severity of the injury, recovery can take months or years. However, PRP therapy reduces swelling and information while it is facilitating rapid healing.
Lower Back Pain Relief
Yet another benefit of PRP therapy is the effective treatment of chronic lower back pain. This treatment is so effective for chronic lower back pain because it improves the functionality of structural elements in the back, like the joints, ligaments, and discs. Whether you have joint pain or muscle pain, you will find that your pain eases following platelet-rich plasma therapy.
Convenient Treatment
Another benefit of this therapy is that it is incredibly convenient. Typically, therapy sessions are no more than 90 minutes long, and injections take no more than one to three months to provide you with relief. This is much better than suffering from osteoarthritis pain for the rest of your life or suffering from limited mobility and strength in your joints for over a year after a traumatic injury.
What Should I Expect During My Treatment?
Before your treatment process begins, we will clean the arm we will draw your blood from and clean the treatment area or areas. Once your skin has been cleaned with an alcohol-based sanitizer, we will draw a small amount of your blood from your arm. Once that is done, we will process the blood in a centrifuge. A centrifuge is a special medical device that spins incredibly rapidly for roughly five minutes, separating the components of your blood by weight.
Once the components of your blood are separated by weight, we will discard the red and white blood cells and add the platelets to the plasma. This gives us the platelet-rich plasma we need to complete your treatment. Platelet-rich plasma is so effective because platelets are high in several growth factors, including human growth factor. These growth factors encourage your body to heal itself and facilitate rapid healing when they are incredibly concentrated.
How Should I Prepare for My Treatment?
There are several steps you must take to prepare for your platelet-rich plasma therapy. For example, you need to stop taking steroid injections one month before your first therapy session is scheduled. One to two weeks before your first therapy session, you need to stop using systematic steroids. Seven days before your treatment, you must stop taking any blood-thinners or drugs that indicate they may cause blood thinning.
Also, five days before your treatment begins, you need to focus on your hydration and nutrition. The more hydrated you are, the more you will get out of your treatment. Therefore, you need to drink at least half of a gallon of hydrating fluids every day. Also, making sure you get enough micronutrients and macronutrients every day is important because your body needs nutrients to heal itself.
What Should I Expect After My Treatment?
During the first 72 hours following your treatment, you need to continue focusing on your hydration and nutrition. Ideally, you should drink at least eight ounces of hydrating fluids every hour. Also, make sure you include at least one fruit and one vegetable with every meal. Additionally, you should not take any blood-thinning drugs or supplements for three weeks post-treatment.
Discover Today Whether This Treatment Is Right for You
Platelet-rich plasma therapy is a non-invasive treatment that offers a wide array of benefits. Among these benefits are accelerated sports injury healing, osteoarthritis treatment, and inflammation relief. To find out whether you qualify for this highly effective treatment, please contact us as soon as possible at Westover Hills Dermatology in San Antonio, TX. We look forward to meeting you and helping your body heal itself.
