What is Involved with a PRP Treatment for Sports Injuries?

Here is what is involved in having a Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP) treatment for your sports injury at our clinic in Kelowna. First, you would call the office and would have a discussion with the nurse. She would be able to explain to you the steps involved and make sure that you are an appropriate candidate for a platelet-rich plasma treatment for your sports injury. We would tell you about the risks of the treatment as well as the alternatives, then you would come to the office and I would examine the area of injury. Oftentimes I would make use of my ultrasound, which helps to identify the specific issue that we’re trying to address.

We would draw some blood from your arm, just one or two ounces, which is a small blood draw. The blood goes into a machine called a centrifuge that spins out all the red blood cells and the white blood cells, and what we’re left with is a concentrated collection of platelets. We like to concentrate these by a factor of five which is the ideal concentration for tissue repair.

These platelets are then injected into the area of injury; again, often under direct vision with ultrasound. This not only shows us the area of injury, but actually shows us the needle passing right into the area so we know precisely where we are delivering the platelets.

The injection is accompanied with some local anesthetic, so it’s not particularly painful. You are able to use Tylenol as needed for post procedural pain, but you’re not allowed to use any anti-inflammatories as those would interfere with the platelets.

The procedure itself takes about an hour from start to finish. We would want you to come back to the office for a follow up examination to document your healing in about two or three weeks.

Learn more about Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Treatments for Sports Injuries in Kelowna