Approximately 80 percent of adult men and women will experience knee pain in their lifetimes. Sometimes this pain might go away within a few days while in other situations it might last for much longer. Nearly 20 percent of people will have chronic knee pain that hinders their ability to move, function, and perform basic tasks. In the past, knee pain doctors might have prescribed cortisone injections, anti inflammatory medications, and in some cases painkillers. They also at times suggest surgery in addition to physical therapy. Although these treatments are still widely utilized, there is a new innovation that many patients are finding success with. This is the newly popular knee injection treatment or also known as PRP treatment.
Understanding PRP Injections
PRP injections are a natural method of treatment. When considering other treatment options, PRP treatment can save money and time. The treatment can treat, restore, and rebuild torn muscle tissues and injured cartilage in the knee. It can also reduce swelling and alleviate knee pain. It should be noted that if you have long term, chronic knee pain, your knee pain doctor might still advise you to have a knee replacement surgery. If this is true, you may not be a candidate for PRP treatment.
Knee Injection: How It’s Made
A PRP injection is made from your own blood and spun in a centrifuge. It is injected into the area of pain to stimulate repair of damaged cells and new cell growth. In short, the PRP knee injection supplies the body with the necessary building blocks to promote healing and recovery.
Benefits of PRP Treatment for Knee Pain
As a knee pain doctor might explain to you, many people are opting to try PRP treatments over other conventional methods. If you are unsure, consider the following advantages and consult a knee pain doctor for further assessment.
- PRP is made from your own blood.
- It is a natural, minimally invasive, treatment.
- There are very little side effects.
Unlike cortisone injections that can weaken tissues and ligaments over time, PRP can strengthen them.
- PRP treatment takes approximately one hour.
- There is no down time.
Not everyone will qualify for PRP injections. If any of the below applies to you, a knee doctor might advise against PRP treatment.
- You are pregnant
- You are taking blood thinning medication
- You have an autoimmune disorder
- You have certain blood disorders
- You have certain cancers
Regardless of what may be the cause of your knee pain, or whether it is chronic or acute, PRP treatment may be able to help you. To explore your treatment options in full, consider contacting a doctor of knee injections from a medical clinic like Premier Osteoarthritis Centers of Pennsylvania.