If you’ve given any thought at all to platelets in your blood, you likely know that their main task is clotting blood, forming a scab after a cut, scrape, or other skin injury. That scab is the first step in your body’s healing response, but it’s not the only boost to healing that platelets offer.
At Westside Pain Specialists, we often turn to the healing properties of platelets in the form of an autologous treatment called platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy. “Autologous” means the process uses your own tissue, in this case a small blood sample, as the active healing agent.
So, what’s the big deal about blood platelets? Let’s take a closer look to unfold their mystery.
Rather than a single liquid, your blood carries a suspension of solids floating within it. Platelets are the smallest of these, with tens of thousands contained in a drop of blood.
When you suffer an injury that damages a blood vessel, platelets first form a plug to stop the bleeding, then a clot to protect the area as your body makes repairs. Platelets first stick to the area surrounding blood vessel damage, a process called adhesion.
Next, these platelets go through changes as the healing process progresses. This is the activation stage, as platelets release compounds that control healing functions, such as attracting additional platelets to the site of the wound or causing a blood vessel to narrow to limit blood loss.
Overall, platelets create a reaction called a coagulation cascade, which propels the healing process forward. This creates a protein mesh that stabilizes the area as the body mends itself.
Regenerative medicine seeks to help the body’s healing mechanisms work more efficiently. Extracting and concentrating platelets outside the body can create a powerful serum called PRP.
Platelets are easy to isolate with a centrifuge since they settle between the lighter plasma and the heavier red blood cells. Mixed with a bit of blood plasma, PRP is a big resource booster that provides healing resources where they’re needed.
Injected at the site of an injury, PRP eases the need to wait for platelets to arrive through the bloodstream. While research into how PRP works is still limited, it’s a safe process since it’s made from your own blood without any medications added.
This means there’s little chance of tissue rejection, and PRP therapy is compatible and complementary to other therapies you might be receiving.
Most often, we use PRP therapy to treat chronic pain conditions such as those accompanying arthritis conditions, soft tissue injuries to ligaments and tendons, and muscle injuries. While results vary between patients, PRP often speeds healing while promoting lower levels of pain and inflammation.
PRP injections are sometimes used during surgeries to promote faster healing while limiting postsurgical pain.
Find out more about the superpowers of platelets in consultation with Dr. James Nassiri at Westside Pain Specialists. Call our nearest office in Beverly Hills or Rancho Cucamonga, California, to make an appointment today.
