What are PRP injections and will they help my shoulder?
Platelet-rich-plasma or ‘PRP’ injections are platelets extracted from your own blood and injected into the injured area. They assist ligaments and tendons regenerate after injuries. It has also been seen to help reduce the amount of time used in rehabilitation and recovery.
What does a PRP injection process look like?
A doctor will take a sample of your blood.
They will then put it into a centrifuge which is a machine that will separate the different components in the blood for about 15 minutes to be able to seperate the plasma which has the platelets.
They will then extract and prepare the separated plasma so that it is ready to be injected into the affected area.
Using an ultrasound machine to view the injuries tissue, the needle with the plasma will be guided into the correct spot and the plasma will be injected into the area. Sometimes it may be don with cortisone to also give pain relief.
Can they work on my shoulders?
Peer reviewed studies have been conducted to determine the effectiveness of PRP injections on rotator cuff injuries.
In one study, patients who had just had with rotator cuff operations were divided into two groups where one was a control group that did not receive treatment while the other group received the PRP injections.
After 30 days it showed that the patients who received PRP injections had a lower pain score than those who did not have the injection.
The conclusion of the study was that PRP reduced pain in the subjects in the first few months after an operation. The long-term results also showed positive results regarding cuff rotator healing.
A second study involved two groups as well, but this time, one group received PRP treatment while the other one got dry needling therapy. Treatments occurred every 4 weeks. After six months post the course of the treatment the PRP group had more significant reductions in pain and disability compared to the dry needling group.
Both of these high quality studies allude to the fact that platelet-rich plasma injections are safe anda useful for the treatment of rotator cuff injuries.
Final thoughts
If you are having issues with rotator cuff pains, it would be best to look at PRP injections as an alternative treatment once you have tried at least 12 weeks of physiotherapy management according to the current gold standard advice for the management of rotator cuff injuries.
If you need advice, a second opinion, or want to come in for some physiotherapy management click the link to book an appointment now.
References
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0363546513496542
https://www.jshoulderelbow.org/article/S1058-2746(11)00083-8/abstract
Metadata: Have you been suffering from shoulder pain and have not found a lasting solution? Check out this article for more information on PRP injections as an effective alternative.