Stem cell therapy and platelet rich plasma (PRP) therapy are two distinct regenerative medicine treatments used to treat a plethora of conditions and injuries in the body. Whether you want to treat hair loss, achieve youthful and smooth skin, or treat musculoskeletal pain, both of these treatments can do wonders and give you the results you want.
Today, both of these treatments are readily used to treat a variety of orthopedic conditions and injuries. Examples include: a damaged ligament or tendon, a surgery wound, a bone fracture, and arthritic damage to a joint.
Before you choose between these two innovative and state-of-the-art treatments, let’s go over what each of them entails.
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy
PRP therapy involves taking plate-rich plasma from a sample of your blood (through a simple needle withdrawal) and using its growth factors and healing properties to treat a condition or injury. Your blood has many components, including platelets. The platelets are responsible for helping your body heal when you get injured. However, in many cases, people who suffer orthopedic injuries find their condition not completed healed. Alternatively, many people find recovery from surgery or an injury a very long process. PRP therapy can help in both situations.
If you have a very old injury that is still causing you symptoms, PRP therapy can help trigger healing in the area, so that your symptoms subside. Additionally, PRP therapy can accelerate healing in an area that would have otherwise recovered at a much slower rate. These responses are triggered by injecting a high concentration of PRP into the problem area. Once injected, the platelets go to work and fix the issue causing symptoms.
Stem Cell Therapy
Stem cell therapy is different from PRP therapy. Unlike platelets taken from your blood, stem cells are retrieved from your bone marrow or fat deposits. Stem cells are unspecialized cells that can replace a variety of different specialized cells in your body, where necessary. Unlike platelets, stem cells are not readily available – every person has a limited supply of them in their bone marrow or fat deposits. Therefore, extracting stem cells is more complicated than isolating platelets from a blood sample.
To perform stem cell therapy, doctors take out stem cells from bone marrow or a fat deposit through an incision or needle (whichever is feasible). Then, they create a concentrated solution with the stem cells. This solution is injected into the problem area. The stem cells enter the area and replace much needed specialized cells, triggering a healing response. Stem cells can even form new tissue that is needed in the body – it is truly a revolutionary regenerative treatment.
Stem Cell and PRP Therapy in Boynton Beach, Florida
Are you interested in exploring whether stem cell therapy or PRP therapy can bring you relief from your orthopedic injury or condition? Visit the experts at Personalized Orthopedics of the Palm Beaches, and find out how we can help.
If you have a sports injury or a musculoskeletal issue that could benefit from regenerative medicine, call (561) 733-5888 for a consultation or to request an appointment online.
