Every person comes across injuries or conditions affecting their orthopedic health at some point in life. It could be a sports injury, arthritis, impact injury, anything. At the 360° Knee clinic, Dr. Dilip Mehta, one of the best orthopedic surgeon in Jaipur, provides the best and latest treatments to heal your injuries and other conditions faster.
He specializes in joint replacement surgeries and rehabilitation through physiotherapy at his state-of-the-art facility in Jaipur. Dr. Dilip Mehta talks about the role of stem cell therapy in quicker recovery post injuries or arthritic conditions. He explains what PRP & stem cell therapy is and how it works. Which patients will likely benefit from it, and whether it has any side effects?
So to start with, let’s know what PRP is?
What is PRP therapy?
PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma and has revolutionized the medical treatment scenario for almost every condition you can think of. Be it cancer treatment, hair and skin treatment, or orthopedic conditions.
Whenever there is an injury, the body initiates its response to protect and heal the injury site. It rushes the platelet cells to the injured ligament, tendon, and cartilage. The platelet carries the healing and growth factors that expedite the process of repair using stem cells.
How is platelet-rich plasma obtained?
Our blood comprises 4 essential components viz: = plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Plasma is a liquid mainly composed of water and other soluble substances like sugar, salt, proteins, and fats. Plasma transports the blood cells through the body along with nutrition, waste, antibodies, hormones, clotting proteins, and proteins that maintain the body’s fluid levels.
Platelets are small fragments of cells and help in the process of coagulation (clotting) by gathering at the site of the injury, sticking to the lining of the injured blood vessel forming a platform on which the blood clots. It forms the fibrin clot, which covers up the wound and does not let the blood leak out. It also forms the base on which new cells grow and speeds up the healing.
Dr. Mehta explains that for obtaining the plasma and the platelets, your whole blood is drawn into satellite bags or syringes depending on the nature of your injury and how much plasma and platelet is required.
This blood is then put into a centrifuge machine, and a spin cycle is started. As the machine rotates, the blood components start separating. The red blood cells are heavier, settle at the bottom, the plasma is the lightest on the top, and the platelet is tracked into a small pouch wrapped around the centrifuge cylinder. The plasma is collected using a syringe.
What is the process of PRP treatment?
Once the platelet-rich plasma is obtained, the doctor injects these into the location of the injury, where they mix up with the remaining blood components. Still, the amount of platelets is more, speeding up the recovery process and sometimes even eliminating the need for surgery.
The procedure takes an hour, barely, and you don’t even have to undergo anesthesia or stay in the hospital. You may even be able to go back to work or your daily routine faster than ever. The doctor may administer the treatment for up to 3 injections within three months, maybe 2 to 3 weeks apart.
You may see the effects almost entirely after the first administration itself. Both MRI and Ultrasound images have shown evidence of tissue repair after PRP therapy, thus proving the healing process.
What conditions can be treated using PRP therapy?
PRP is known to cure many chronic conditions, including pain and stiffness due to osteoarthritis, sports injuries, etc…
Some common conditions that Dr. Dilip Mehta, one of the best orthopedic surgeon in Jaipur, treats using PRP are:
- Osteoarthritis
- Plantar fasciitis
- Tennis elbow
- Tendonitis
- Rotator cuff tear
- Acl tear
- Ankle sprain
- Other sprains and strains.
Benefits of PRP therapy
- Pain relief
- Faster healing
- It eliminates the need for surgery
- Minimally invasive procedure
- Strengthened body’s natural healing process
- Since your blood is used, there is no risk of transmitting infection and a very low risk of allergic reaction.
- Less costly compared to surgery.
Latest Advancements in treatments using PRP:
PRP is widely used by dentists, cosmetologists, ophthalmologists, oncologists, urologists, and cardiovascular surgeons for treatment. Though orthopedics have so far used PRP only for soft tissue injuries, researchers are looking at ways of using PRP for treating musculoskeletal injuries.
