Our body has the amazing capability of healing from a great number of injuries. But in some cases, the recovery process takes a long time, and the patient might be in a lot of pain in the meantime. If you are suffering from a sports injury, a problem with your joint, or a chronic condition, you could be a great candidate for PRP injections here at Angelo Mattalino, MD in Scottsdale, AZ. We offer this treatment to all patients in and around Phoenix.
PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma, and it’s a substance that is derived from your blood. It is incredibly effective and safe because your body will recognize the platelets as your own, so rejection is highly unlikely. What’s more, this treatment is minimally invasive, which makes it suitable for a wide range of patients. Let’s have a closer look at what it does and who can benefit the most.
Who Can Benefit from PRP Injections in Phoenix?
In the beginning, platelet-rich plasma was used on professional athletes who wanted to speed up their recovery. Since then, the field has grown exponentially, and regular people can now benefit from it just as easily as sports stars. Its applications are wide-reaching, ranging from medical to cosmetic concerns. For instance, some clinics use this type of injection to treat hair loss or the negative symptoms of aging.
Here at Angelo Mattalino MD, we mainly focus on helping people resolve chronic pain and speed up healing after an injury. PRP can help you no matter where in your body your problem is located. For this reason, we might suggest this method for people with an elbow, knee, hip, or shoulder problem. It is an especially interesting option for those who are not able to participate in elective surgery.
Sports Injuries
The first people to benefit from PRP were elite athletes, who don’t have the time to wait for their injuries to heal naturally. For them, regenerative medicine has proven extremely effective at getting them back in the game as quickly as possible. However, you don’t have to be a member of the NFL or the NHL to benefit from platelet-rich plasma.
No matter where in your body you have been injured, we can help you speed up the recovery time by injecting your own platelets and plasma into the site. In fact, sports injuries are often simple and cost-effective to cure because they only affect one or two areas of your body. Thus, we can more easily target the problem and help your body build up new, healthy cells.
Joint Problems
Many of the patients we treat with PRP come to us after a sports injury, but this isn’t always the case. As we grow older, our tissues weaken and may take longer to repair. For this reason, common problems such as meniscus tears, plantar fasciitis, or a torn rotator cuff often show up after the age of fifty and without an obvious cause such as a fall.
If you are suffering from pain and limited movement due to such a problem, you should visit your regenerative medicine specialist local to Phoenix since PRP injections could be a way for you to recover more quickly. Because your body will dispose of the diseased tissue and create brand-new cells, you will feel less pain and regain your range of motion.
Chronic Conditions
Millions of Americans suffer from chronic conditions every year, and while some of them last for a few weeks, others are permanent and will affect the rest of the patient’s life. In the past, there weren’t any suitable methods of addressing this issue, but PRP has made it much easier for sufferers to find relief. No matter what condition has caused the chronic pain, this treatment can help you reduce or even eliminate your symptoms.
People not Eligible for Surgery
Platelet-rich plasma has many advantages, but one of the biggest is the lack of side effects. Since you are using a substance that comes directly from your own blood, your body will recognize the PRP as beneficial, and it won’t trigger an allergic reaction. In addition, the treatment process is minimally invasive, and your doctor won’t have to make an incision or administer a general anesthetic.
Instead, you simply receive some injections and then continue with your daily activities as normal. This makes the method applicable for people who have health conditions that preclude them from elective surgery. If you have an underlying health issue, you should speak to your doctor to find out whether regenerative medicine would be a viable option for you.
How Do the Injections Work?
As you can see, PRP is a great treatment for a wide range of people. In particular, patients come to us because they have severe injuries, problems with one of their joints, or they are struggling with chronic pain. But how does this treatment actually work, and what can you expect from your session with your specialist? To find out more, you should get in touch and book your initial consultation.
We can then ask you about your painful problem, the reason why you have symptoms, your past treatments, and your medical history. Once we’ve established that PRP could be a good solution for you, we will explain to you how exactly it works and start planning your sessions. Depending on the location and severity of your condition, treatment will be slightly different, and we may combine this method with other solutions.
Your Session
Most likely, you will be invited to come to the clinic in Phoenix several times, but each session will be relatively short. In some cases, you can be in and out of the doctor’s office within 30-60 minutes, and since you won’t be under general anesthetic, you may be able to drive yourself home. To begin with, your doctor will draw blood from you and spin it in a centrifuge to derive the platelet-rich plasma.
While you wait for this to be complete, we can apply numbing cream to the treatment area. This prevents you from feeling any pain from the injections and makes the session more pleasant. Once the cream has done its job, your doctor injects the PRP. After this step, you will be free to go.
Recovery Time and Results
Since you won’t have a big wound, there isn’t much you have to do to recover from PRP injections. Some people, especially those who have gone through the treatment process before, are happy to come to see us during their lunch break and then go straight back to work. However, if this is your first platelet-rich plasma experience, we suggest you come in on your day off or after you are done working. You might also like to have someone accompany you.
Most of our patients report that their results appear within two to six weeks of their first treatment. As soon as PRP has been injected, the platelets start to do their job, and the natural healing process begins. Because you will keep coming back for more sessions, you will feel a cumulative benefit.
Optimizing Your Results
Your doctor will speak to you about optimizing your results and making sure you don’t get injured again. Depending on the reason why you are in pain, you might have to change your lifestyle or exercise habits.
For example, someone who got injured due to bad posture could benefit from seeing a physiotherapist and realigning their body. Similarly, someone who has knee problems because they are overweight will need to lose some weight, since the problem might otherwise recur. You will discuss the cause of your symptoms during your initial consultation, and your doctor can help you find an appropriate long-term solution.
Recover from Your Injury or Condition Today
Although our bodies eventually heal from most injuries and conditions, this can take a long time and be a painful process. Fortunately, there have been numerous innovations in the field of regenerative medicine in recent years. Patients located in Phoenix who suffer from a sports injury, joint problems, or a chronic condition can now benefit from PRP injections, which harness their own body’s healing power and speed up their recovery.
Because this treatment is gentle and utilizes components from your own body, you are unlikely to experience side effects. Regenerative medicine offers very similar results to surgical interventions, but it doesn’t come with the same level of risk. The best way to find out more is to speak to a professional, who can determine whether this is right for you. Call us now at Angelo Mattalino MD in Scottsdale, AZ and book your consultation.