What is “PRP” and How Does it Work – Will it Help Me?
One exciting approach to wound healing, variously described as “regenerative medicine” or “tissue engineering” has been the use of platelet rich plasma (PRP) either alone or in conjunction with stem cells. PRP got recent notoriety when it was mentioned that Hines Ward, the Pittsburgh Steeler’s star wide receiver had received this treatment for an injury prior to the Super Bowl. As it turns out, PRP has been used for quite some time now, particularly at our center, to help accelerate the healing of conditions such as tendonitis, ligament strains, muscle strains, arthritis, synovitis (inflammation inside the joint), and cartilage defects. Platelet rich plasma is employed as a matrix graft, often referred to as an autologous tissue graft. This platelet-rich plasma (PRP) matrix is defined as a “tissue graft incorporating autologous growth factors and/or autologous undifferentiated cells in a cellular matrix where design depends on the receptor site and tissue of regeneration.” (Crane D, Ev
