PRP Therapy, The Procedure Helping to Heal Achilles Injuries






Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy: PRP Injections are used for a variety of injuries. Platelets play a significant role in the healing of tissue, thus why doctors started using them with injuries which have low blood flow. The most common are chronic tendon injuries including the elbow, the patella, and the achilles. Tendons are connective tissue that connect bone to bone. What the doctors do is reintroduce a high concentration of platelets directly into the injured area to jump-start the body's ability to heal.
It's a non-surgical procedure and is considered safe because the platelets are taken directly from the the patient's own blood.

This is an outpatient procedure, so when you arrive at your doctor's office the first thing he will do is draw a vile of blood from you. He will then place the blood in a centrifuge. This allows the blood to be spun and it separates the platelets from the rest of the blood components. Those platelets are then drawn up into a syringe with a larger than normal gauge needle so that the platelets can fit through it whole. The last step is when the doctor injects those platelets into your injured area. Usually they will not use any numbing agents so that the injection will fully enhance the bodies healing process. The pain endured depends greatly on your tolerance, I have heard it was "barely more than a flu shot" to "OMG, never again".

Looking up studies and asking people I know about their results has also brought mixed reviews. Some have had full recovery and recommended it highly, while others say it has nothing but a placebo effect, and others have had no improvement. My personal opinion is derived from my son's experience. He was in pain every step he took before he had his PRP procedure and after he walks pain-free.