For most musculoskeletal issues, the effects of immunosuppressant, steroids, DMARDs and protein blocking drugs, never good to start with, usually wane off after repeated use. And when it does, the patients realize that during the time the symptoms were being masked by these drugs, the disease was actually progressing at a steady pace. By this time though, it may already be in an advanced stage. That’s why more and more patients today are opting for natural biologics like Platelet-Rich Plasma at the earliest possible instead of waiting till all options are exhausted. This is the Self-Healing revolution.
Here are six reasons why you should start offering Platelet-Rich Plasma for your patients today.
1. Clear and Obvious Results
There would be no point in discussing a treatment if it doesn’t deliver results. You only need to look at ONE SOLID STUDY LIKE THIS to conclude its efficacy because the way Platelet-Rich Plasma works are not unique to conditions treated. Meaning, if it works for tennis elbow, chances are, it will work for Achilles heel too. As well as chronic wounds, spine disc regeneration, bone healing, tendinopathy and much more.
That is to say, the science behind Platelet-Rich Plasma is solid. The growth factors within platelets, mainly platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have been found again and again to be agents capable of healing tissues. Dentists initially tested PRP in the 1990s for the repair of bones after oral surgeries. Since then scores of the physicians have used it to treat the following with excellent success rates.
- Rotator cuff injuries (study here)
- Tennis & golfer’s elbow (study here)
- Hamstring, hip, knee and ankle strains, and sprains (study here)
- Achilles tendinitis & plantar fasciitis (study here)
- Knee, hip, and another joint osteoarthritis (study here)
- Degenerative disc disease of the spine (study here)
- Nerve injury and neurological pain (study here)
- Chronic ulcers and post-surgical wound healing (study here)
- Burns, skin grafts, and scar tissue remodeling (study here)
Yes, physicians have successfully used PRP to treat these conditions for OVER A DECADE now. Yet, there are some physicians who’re only now starting to see the possibilities of this autologous healing agent. They’ve been very dismissive about it until now thanks in part due to the healthcare industry’s lackadaisical approach to it.
Fortunately, much of that is changing. The future is looking bright for Platelet-Rich Plasma. A quick search in the clinical trials database reveals 101 clinical trials at the time of this writing.
And it has now become a powerful force in modern medicine.
2. Simple Outpatient Procedure – Zero Down Time
Preparation of Platelet-Rich Plasma is a procedure that puts the latest high-technology protein-blocking drugs to shame (more on that later) in every sense. Prepared using a simple desktop centrifuge in about 10 minutes (not including the time to draw blood), PRP delivers more therapeutic benefits than many other billion-dollar drugs used for the same purpose. The entire procedure takes a maximum of 45 minutes and patients can return to their usual daily routine immediately. Plus the produced PRP is capable of remaining sterile and viable for a couple of hours.
This may be one of the reasons why patients keep coming back for more once they’ve had an initial injection.
3. Eliminates Invasive Surgeries in The Long Run
Platelet-Rich Plasma acts on the body in the most natural way you can think of – by triggering a healing cascade consisting of hemostasis, inflammation and proliferation phases. This is the way our bodies are designed to heal. It doesn’t aggravate the disease by blocking the natural function of cells, which is what almost all other drugs are designed to do. Therefore the earlier your patients have Platelet-Rich Plasma injections, the less likely that things will get complicated enough to warrant surgery. We’ve heard from doctors again and again that their patients who were prescribed surgery ended up not having surgery for years.
Platelet-Rich Plasma can actually regenerate tissues, muscles, ligaments and even bones. It works like stem cells but with little less dramatic results and none of the side effects that stem cell treatments are notorious for.
4. The Age of Ortho-Biologics is Here – There’s No Escape
One of the biggest reasons why physicians don’t start offering Platelet-Rich Plasma sooner is that they mistakenly think that PRP is just a fad and it might vanish entirely a few years later. But the fact is, the biologic era of medicine is here. And Platelet-Rich Plasma is leading it. And in coming years, putting together joints and discs using steel may look primitive as more scientific data emerge in favor of Platelet-Rich Plasma. Some experts suggest that injection therapies may replace up to 70% to 80% of the surgeries in the near future.
In other words, this shift in the treatment paradigm is big.
The earlier you get in, the more expertise you gain. There is a reason why some doctors get amazing results with PRP while others struggle to make it work. The reason is clear. The ones that make it work have a thorough understanding of the science behind it and are confident about the limits and potential of the treatment. In this case, there is no substitute for experience. The sooner you start doing them, the more confident you become in PRP injection therapy. Don’t wait.
5. No Risk of Side Effects or Mutagenic Effects
One of the biggest drawbacks blocking the stem cell treatments from going mainstream is the potential for the treatments to go horribly wrong. Since Platelet-Rich Plasma acts on cells via trans membrane signal cascades and doesn’t modulate the cells and their functions, there can potentially be no harmful effects from using it. That’s why you DON’T NEED FDA approval to start offering Platelet-Rich Plasma treatments.
It also means that aside from occasional patient dissatisfaction with PRP – could happen in less than 10% of the cases – there is nothing else you need to worry about. No further complications, regulatory actions, or lawsuits can arise. If it doesn’t work, fine. You can try some other treatments. Or you can even combine it with other injection treatments, provided the combination doesn’t negate the effects of PRP – we’re seeing a trend towards that as evidenced by this study where the therapeutic effects were doubled when PRP was added to the treatment.
That’s why your decision to start offering PRP is going to be an easy one.
Precision Pain Care and Rehabilitation has two convenient locations in the Richmond Hill – Queens and New Hyde Park – Long Island. Call the Richmond Hill office at (718) 215-1888, or (516) 419-4480 for Long Island office, to arrange an appointment with our Interventional Pain Management Specialist, Dr. Jeffrey Chacko.
