What Is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)?
Platelet Rich Plasma is a concentrated form of blood that has 5-10 times the number of normal platelets. Blood is made mostly of a liquid substance called plasma with a variety of different suspended solid particles including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Red blood cells contain the oxygen particles that are delivered to the tissues of the body. White blood cells serve an important role as the immune system’s front-line defense of foreign invaders. Last, there are platelets which have an irreplaceable role in the clotting and healing of different injuries. Platelets are composed of hundreds of special proteins called growth factors. These proteins signal specific cells to proliferate, differentiate, or encourage tissue regeneration.
How Is PRP Made?
To produce platelet rich plasma, an individual only has to donate a small amount of blood. That sample is placed in a test tube and is then subjected to double centrifugation(gravity separation utilizing centripetal force), a process that separates platelets from other types of blood cells and allows them to be collected at a high concentration. The first spin separates whole blood into three sections with the platelets at the top, white blood cells in the middle and red blood cells at the bottom. From here, the platelets are collected in a new tube and spun again which then separates the sample into ⅔ rds of platelet poor plasma that is discarded and ⅓ rd PRP. Since the concentration of platelets increased, there is also a greater concentration of growth factors.
What Happens Once PRP Is Injected?
The final curated form of platelets are then reintroduced to the affected area of the body and allow growth factors to identify and bind to target cells such as osteoblasts, fibroblasts, or other agonist cells (cells that activate signaling pathways to start healing). The increased number of growth factors within the affected area allows binding to proceed at a greater rate and activate intracellular signaling pathways that cause receptor cells to speed up cell proliferation(production of new cells) and, in turn, tissue healing.
PRP Benefits
-Reduce pain in joint
-Improve functionality of the joint
-Help prevent further cartilage damage
-Halt damage that is already occurring in the joint
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