Where on the Body Can PRP Therapy Alleviate Pain?

If you suffer from mild to moderate joint or tendon pain and conservative treatment options haven’t been enough, state-of-the-art nonsurgical treatments could be the answer. One intervention to consider is platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy.

PRP therapy can promote the body's natural ability to enhance itself in many areas by using the power of a patient’s own blood. Treatment involves the collection of platelets from the blood and injecting them into the site of pain.

Below, we’ll look at how the PRP therapy offered by board-certified doctor of physical medicine and rehabilitation Dr. Christie Lehman at Asheville Regenerative Orthopedics & Sports Medicine can be an excellent option for pain relief.

How do PRP injections help with pain?

Blood platelets help the body strengthen itself when we’re first injured. They help form blood clots, facilitate the action of inflammatory cells, and help proteins start the tissue repair process.

Now, regenerative medicine has found a way to use concentrated platelet’s from a patient’s own blood to stimulate healing in tendons, ligaments, joints, and muscles. In other words, PRP injections help the body repair itself by using a person's growth factors and cells.

Injuries and overuse of the musculoskeletal system cause chronic pain if the healing process is not complete. That’s why Dr. Christie Lehman at Asheville Regenerative Orthopedics & Sports Medicine offers ultrasound-guided PRP therapy as a nonsurgical treatment to stimulate the body’s repair process and relieve nagging pain.

What kind of pain can PRP injections treat?

PRP therapy has shown promise in relieving pain resulting from the following conditions:

• Tennis elbow

• Meniscus tears

• Rotator cuff injuries

• Osteoarthritis in the spine and knee

• Pinched nerves

• Achilles tendinopathy

• Hamstring injuries

• Torn ACL

PRP injections can also treat more general pain resulting from injuries and overuse of tendons, muscles, ligaments, and joints.

In other words, you can get a PRP injection in the following areas of your body for pain relief:

• Knees

• Hips

• Shoulders

• Hands

• Feet

• Wrists

• Elbows

• Ankles

PRP injections for knee pain

Approximately 25% of adults experience knee pain that limits their mobility or impairs their quality of life. Knee replacement surgery is becoming increasingly common in older adults to deal with osteoarthritis pain.

PRP therapy has become more popular as more people search for nonsurgical knee treatments. In some cases, it can alleviate the pain from ACL injuries, osteoarthritis, tendinopathy, and meniscus injuries to the extent that surgery is not required.

Because knee replacement surgery only lasts about 15 – 20 years, doctors often recommend that people wait until their 60s. If you’re decades away from that milestone and in chronic pain, nonsurgical knee treatments, such as PRP therapy, can give you years of relief, even if you decide to have surgery later.

Find PRP treatment for pain in Asheville, NC

If you’re searching for PRP injections for knee pain or other nonsurgical treatments for body pain, you can book a consultation at Asheville Regenerative Orthopedics & Sports Medicine in Asheville, NC.

Dr. Christie Lehman can help pinpoint the cause of your pain and explain if PRP therapy or another treatment is right for you.