Is Knee pain troubling you? Are knee joint injuries/pains stopping you from leading a normal life? PRP Therapy is your way out. Life is moving on, so why should you take a halt. We bring PRP injection to your rescue!
PRP Defined
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is basically plasma which has more platelets than what is found in the blood. Before moving further, let’s try to understand what plasma and platelets are?
Plasma is the liquid part of the blood. It consists of water and proteins. It is like a channel through which the red and white blood cells, as well as the platelets, circulate through the body. Platelets are blood cells that help in the formation of blood clots and other important growth healing functions. Once they are circulated into one’s bloodstream, they live up to 10 days.
PRP is produced by isolating plasma from blood and then concentrating it. It is injected into damaged tissues, which stimulates your body to grow new and healthy cells. This, in turn, promotes healing. PRP- Platelet-rich plasma plays a significant role in soft tissue healing as well as stimulation and acceleration of bone. Platelet-rich plasma can be defined as a concentration of platelets in a 5-ml capacity of plasma. PRP is free from communicable diseases like HIV and hepatitis.
The major growth factors in PRP are:
- aa (PDGFaa), PDGFbb and PDGFab (Platelet-derived growth factor)
- beta-1 (TGF-b1) and TGF-b2 (Transforming growth factor)
- (VEGF)- vascular endothelial growth factor
- (EGF)- epithelial growth factor
PRP Injection Knee Meniscus
The meniscus is an intra-articular structure which is formed by fibrocartilaginous tissue. It is made of type I collagen fibres. It is frequently damaged, due to which the knee stability and lubrication get affected.
Meniscal lesions are painful and result in lesser indulgence in physical activities. Meniscal tears may lead to cartilage deterioration. Therefore, it is important to take an adequate treatment at the same time.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has become a popular treatment for meniscus and ligament healing.
PRP treatment knee may prove beneficial,
- For repair of primary ACL in skeletally immature patients
- ACL graft maturation
- Repair of meniscal tears that occur in the avascular zone
PRP- the concentrated platelets are put at the site of the tear. The release of the growth factors stimulates the healing of the tear. These factors cause the injured tissue’s proliferation and regeneration, which in turn improves fibroblastic events that are involved in tissue healing. Damage to meniscal tissue is a challenge for orthopaedic surgeons as there is an absence of healing at the avascular zone and the occurrence of degeneration of articular cartilage along with an increased rate of knee osteoarthritis after a meniscal injury. PRP makes wound healing and tissue regeneration faster.
PRP injections result in pain relief in patients who have grade 2 meniscal lesions. PRP has proven to be quite effective in osteoarthritic knee pathology and may result in a reduction in pain and inflammation even without healing the meniscus in some cases.
PRP Knee Treatment
The most common form of arthritis is Osteoarthritis. It results in the joint destruction and an imbalance of the joint’s inflammatory mediators, causing further degeneration of cartilage, extracellular matrix, chondrocyte apoptosis, osteophyte formation as well as bone remodelling.
One of the main injection therapies available for such conditions is platelet-rich plasma (PRP). PRP is created by obtaining a minimal amount of blood through peripheral venesection and concentrating that blood sample using centrifugation, and finally administering the plasma product to the patient through an intra-articular injection.
There are different PRP systems. Some require concentration of platelets up to 8x normal blood, while others only concentrate up to 2x. The concentration of the white cells can be changed based on the speed of the spin. Mostly as a treatment for knee arthritis, a platelet concentration of up to 3x without the white cells is required.
It is recommended that the patient need to be well hydrated before getting PRP injections for knee joint injuries. According to Studies, knee arthritis requires 2-3 injections at a gap of 2 weeks for the best results. However, there are a few PRP systems with higher concentrations of platelets and white cells, which means that only one injection is required.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is a low-cost treatment for degenerative lesions of the articular cartilage of the knee. It has minimal adverse effects. It takes about 30 minutes for the entire PRP process to begin and finish.
PRP injections are beneficial as
- They delay the need for knee replacement.
- They are beneficial in terms of health utility, pain, and patient satisfaction.
After getting a PRP treatment for knee, the patients may experience soreness at the injection location.
Precautions To Be Taken After Getting A PRP Injection For Knee Treatment
There are certain precautions after PRP injection. Avoid consuming anti-inflammatories for some time before and after the treatment. They still can treat the residual pain using painkillers or applying ice.
- Avoid strenuous exercises, particularly the ones that put weight on the knee joint.
- Try to wear a splint for the first few weeks to make the joint steady.
- You could even use crutches to avoid putting weight on the joint.
- Elevate the joint at night with the knee raised on pillows.
PRP Injection Recovery Time
The PRP injection knee recovery time is approximately 3-7 days. However, after just a few days of soreness and possible swelling, you will gradually improve over a few weeks. Getting back to normal activities and being able to engage in exercise and physiotherapy more swiftly than you would otherwise is the actual value of a PRP treatment.
PRP Knee Surgery
Pre-PRP Knee Procedure Requirements
- Discontinue anti-inflammatory medications five days before the procedure.
- Discontinue any blood-thinning supplements and systematic steroids one week before the therapy.
- Discontinue steroid injections one week before the procedure.
- Eat a healthy breakfast and drink plenty of water on the day of the procedure.
- Discuss a discontinuation plan regarding your steroids with your doctor, as sudden stoppage may cause side effects.
At Amandeep Group of hospitals, we use PRP knee pain healing factors, which are injected back into the patient’s body at knee joint injuries. PRP can offer effective regeneration and help the body to heal. It not only gives relief from pain but gets a person back to an active lifestyle.
The road to your PRP knee injection recovery is as significant to us as you!