Platelet rich plasma injection is a new treatment for common orthopaedic conditions. It is being administered by surgeons including Dr.A.K.Venkatachalam in Chennai. www.shoulderindia.com, www.kneeindia.com. A form of PRP injection is known as ACP ( autologous conditioned plasma)
Platelet rich plasma is obtained from your own blood. It contains growth factors which help in the healing process of long standing injuries. Growth factors are chemical factors which signal the body to initiate the healing process. Injection of growth factors is hoped to stimulate your own body's healing process to heal chronic conditions. Orthopedic surgeons have recently started using PRP for treatment of chronic condiitons like Tennis elbow, Tendo achiles tendonitis, patellar tendon tendonitis, rotator cuff tendonitis. V
It can be done as an outpatient procedure. Cost starts at 500 $. The procedure takes about 30 minutes to obtain your blood, centrifuge it and inject it in the affected area.
Effectiveness:
Laboratory studies have shown that PRP can help increase certain growth factors that are important in the healing process.It is unkonwn if this makes any difference in healing when PRP is injected into an injured part of the body.
Clinical studies that have been done so far do not clearly demonstrate if PRP is more effective than other treatments. While there are reports of cases of success, it is not known if these successes are better, or worse, than other standard treatments. Currently, investigations are underway to determine if PRP is more helpful than other treatments for chronic tendonitis.
