Many treatments can treat the same conditions and be completely different. It’s easy to get treatments confused. Two treatments that are often confused are Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy and Stem Cell therapy. Both involve using the patient’s own bodily mechanisms to heal a condition or injury. Here is more information on these treatments to help you differentiate between the two.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy
Blood is made up of plasma, red cells, white cells, and platelets. Platelet-rich plasma is a component of your blood. Think about what happens when you get a paper cut. After a few moments, your cut is likely to stop bleeding. Platelets are responsible for clotting the blood so that bleeding can stop. However, platelets have a lot of other amazing components, including proteins, that help in the healing process.
PRP involves taking a small amount of blood and isolating the plasma in it so you have a higher concentration of the proteins in the sample. To perform PRP therapy, the doctor will draw the patient’s blood, then use a centrifuge to isolate and increase the platelet-rich plasma from the blood. The doctor will then take the PRP and put it back in the patient’s body via injection. The place where the injection is given depends on where the patient needs it. For example, for a patient with knee pain, the plasma injection will be given in or around the knee. After the injection is administered, the plasma will help the body’s natural healing system to repair the injury that is causing the patient’s pain.
PRP was originally a popular treatment for athletes because it helped them heal faster so they could return to playing their sports. Today, PRP therapy is a popular pain management and healing treatment for anyone with a similar issue. PRP therapy has been used to successfully treat ailing tendons, ligaments, tissues, or muscles. The PRP helps the body heal itself at a faster rate and can kick-start healing injuries that won’t heal on their own. This means people with chronic pain can even see improvements through this treatment.
Stem Cell Therapy
Stem cell therapy involves using stem cells to treat conditions or diseases. Stem cells (also called undifferentiated cells) are the body’s “raw” material and can be found in a variety of places, but most therapy treatments use adult stem cells taken from the patient’s own body. These stem cells are called adult stem cells and are found in a variety of places, including the brain, bone marrow, skeletal muscle, gut, and more. The stem cells can be transformed in a lab into specialized cells that the body needs. The specialized cells will then serve their purpose as the original specialized cells would do.
Stem cells can be changed into any tissue or organ cells, and stem cell therapy has been successful in treating a variety of issues including spinal cord injuries, neurological issues, and heart muscle issues. Stem cells can even slow the progression of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
If you are wondering which of these two treatment methods is best for you, the best thing to do is talk to your doctor. The type of treatment you need depends, among other things, on what kind of condition you have, your medical history, what your insurance will cover.
The Personalized Orthopedics of the Palm Beaches has a wealth of knowledge and experience on a variety of health conditions, PRP therapy, and stem cell therapy. If you are interested in exploring treatment methods for your health conditions, call 561-733-5888 today to make an appointment with one of our experts.
