Sports injuries often involve soft tissue, which can take a long time to heal and cause significant pain. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections can significantly shorten healing times while reducing pain and inflammation in the injured area.
At The Institute for Arthroscopy & Sports Medicine in San Francisco, California, Dr. Jeffrey Halbrecht and his experienced team administer platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to help improve your body’s healing capabilities when recovering from an injury or surgical procedure.
Your blood is primarily made up of a serum-like plasma, within which are suspended three different components:
Of these three components, platelets may be the most interesting, and they’re certainly the most vital to the healing process. Your platelets help your blood clot, enable injuries and wounds to heal swiftly, and even contain growth factors that signal to other growth factors in your body to come and render aid.
All of these are reasons why PRP is a favorite of your sports medicine doctor. San Francisco residents can benefit from PRP both as a supplemental treatment for acute injuries and as a postoperative way to move the healing process along more quickly.
To create PRP from your own blood (meaning it’s a bioidentical treatment that your body will readily accept), Dr. Halbrecht follows these three steps:
PRP therapy only takes about 30 minutes to be prepared and can reduce pain and inflammation, particularly for knee injuries. Studies have shown that PRP has the potential to help knee injury patients regrow cartilage, making it an ideal treatment for many sports injuries.
PRP can be extremely useful for treating injuries to cartilage, especially when applied by a qualified knee surgeon. San Francisco-based Dr. Halbrecht uses PRP frequently in tandem with other treatments for faster healing and improved outcomes.
If you’re wondering if PRP could be used to help your own situation, a consultation with Dr. Halbrecht can help determine if your injury or upcoming surgical procedure meshes well with PRP therapy. Some patients who suffer from chronic pain from older damage also find it helps with arthritis discomfort.
Have you recently suffered a knee or other sports injury? Don’t hold off getting help. Contact the team at IASM by calling 415-233-7996, or book a visit online.
