Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy

New Tampa Interventional Pain and Sports Medicine Our Services Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy

New Tampa Interventional Pain and Sports Medicine

Pain Management & Sports Medicine located in Wesley Chapel, FL

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections are gaining popularity for a variety of conditions, from sports injuries to hair loss. Approximately 35 million men and 21 million women suffer from hair loss. Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Alex Rodriquez, Hines Ward and many elite athletes have used PRP therapy for sports injuries. At New Tampa Interventional Pain & Sports Medicine in Wesley Chapel, Florida, Jose De La Torre, MD, is now offering options for treatment of hair loss as well as sports injuries. If you’re struggling with hair loss or joint pain and live in the North Tampa, Land O' Lakes, Lutz, and Zephyrhills areas, call New Tampa Interventional Pain & Sports Medicine or schedule an appointment online today.

Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy Q & A

What is a PRP?

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy uses injections of a concentration of a patient’s own platelets to accelerate the healing of injured tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints, as well as promote hair growth. In this way, PRP injections use each individual patient's own healing system.

PRP injections are prepared by taking anywhere from one to a few tubes of your own blood and running it through a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets. These activated platelets are then injected directly into your injured or diseased body tissue or area of hair loss. This releases growth factors that stimulate and increase the number of reparative cells your body produces.

What Can Platelet-Rich Plasma Treat?

PRP injections are used to treat torn tendons, tendinitis, muscle injuries, arthritis-related pain, and joint injuries. They’re becoming more common for cosmetic procedures, too. For example, Dr De La Torre uses PRP injections to treat a type of hair loss called androgenic alopecia, also known as male or female pattern baldness, which affects men and women.

Before You Get PRP Injections

You’ll likely need to stop taking certain medications that thin your blood, like aspirin and ibuprofen, before you get PRP injections. You may also need to take a break from certain vitamins or supplements, such as omega-3 fatty acids. Dr De La Torre can tell you exactly what you need to do to prepare for these shots.

PRP doesn’t usually cause major side effects. But because it involves drawing blood, if your doctor recommends it - you’ll want to make sure you eat before the procedure. That will help you avoid feeling lightheaded when you get PRP injections.

After the shot, you shouldn’t wash the area that was treated for 48 hours. You might notice some soreness and bruising in the area that received injections. If you feel sharp or intense pain, let your doctor know.

You can’t get PRP injections if you have:

  • Abnormal platelet function or a low platelet count
  • Anemia
  • Cancer
  • An infection

 

To learn more about PRP treatments, call New Tampa Interventional Pain & Sports Medicine or schedule an appointment online today.