PRP joint therapy. Treatment with your own blood and nothing else.

Recently, the use of drugs made from the patient's own blood has become quite popular in medicine in general, and in the field of traumatology and orthopedics in particular. Let's try to understand this issue and understand the essence and meaning of such a treatment regimen.

 And so, the experience of using autologous blood in the treatment of various diseases has been known to us since ancient history, but the first documented successes in the use of autohemotherapy date back to the beginning of the 20th century. The first successful application was described by a German surgeon, one of the pioneers of sports medicine, Augus Bier in 1905; Beer used the blood of patients in the treatment of fractures by injecting the patient's blood near the site of bone injury.

In 1923, the first reports were received about the successful use of autohemotherapy in the treatment of pustular skin diseases, in particular boils. Autohemotherapy is still recognized as an effective method in the treatment of pustular diseases.

During the Russo-Japanese War, the famous surgeon Valentin Feliksovich Voino-Yasenetsky widely used autohemotherapy techniques in military field surgery and noted the positive results of treatment in his book "Essays on Purulent Surgery". The effectiveness and safety of the technique ensured autohemotherapy widespread use in many branches of medicine, as an auxiliary technique for the treatment of various pathological processes.

The introduction of whole blood into soft tissues is a rather painful procedure, and as the blood composition was studied, theories arose that not all cells provide such an effect, and some, on the contrary, do not allow the full potential of the technique to be revealed, and therefore the next stage was the use of plasma obtained by centrifugation in special modes.

Further studies of plasma therapy showed that the number of platelets in the plasma is important for effective use, since in 1980 the maxillofacial surgeon Robert E. Marks determined that only at a platelet concentration of 1,000,000 U. for 1 μl, the maximum therapeutic effect occurs. In order to achieve this concentration of platelets, they began to use special tubes with a special spray, as a result of which it was possible to obtain PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma), which means “platelet-rich plasma” - the official international name.

         In my personal practice, I use this technique quite widely in some types of joint pathology, not only as an auxiliary (with the ineffectiveness of protocol treatment methods), but also as the main one in complex therapy, given the beneficial effect of PRP on joint tissues, in particular on cartilage.

         PRP joint therapy has several advantages :

- has no side effects.

- does not cause allergic reactions.

- safety - since the drug is manufactured exclusively using disposable instruments and exclusively from the patient's blood, there is no risk of transmission of infections transmitted by the parenteral route.

- a non-surgical method that often allows you to go away or postpone the need for surgical treatment.

Indications for use in the field of traumatology and orthopedics:

- degenerative-dystrophic changes in the musculoskeletal system (arthrosis, tendinosis, aseptic necrosis, chondromalacia and others)

- postoperative period after interventions on bones and joints (arthroscopy, osteotomy, reconstructive surgery, restoration of tendon and muscle structures)

- vertebrology (pain syndrome in case of problems with the spine, which does not lend itself to classical treatment regimens)

- delayed fusion of bones, slowing down the repair processes of other tissues (in order to stimulate recovery processes)

- inflammatory orthopedic diseases (epicondylitis, tendonitis, ligamentitis, myositis, etc.).

- osteochondropathy.

- inflammatory processes of different localization (epicondylitis, ligamentitis, tendonitis, periarthritis, etc.).

- podology - application for diseases and injuries of the feet, with heel spurs, tunnel syndromes, plantar fasciitis.

- sports medicine - the recovery period after sports injuries, occupational diseases of athletes.

Preparation:

- complete blood count - shows whether your blood can be used to prepare PRP.

- giving up alcohol and smoking 3-4 days before and after the procedure.

- exclude food and water intake 4 hours before the procedure.

- exclude during the course of treatment the intake of drugs that affect blood coagulation and anti-inflammatory drugs. If you are taking other medications on an ongoing basis, check with your doctor.

Contraindications:

  • Acute diseases of viral and bacterial genesis.
  • Thrombocytopenia is a decrease in platelet count.
  • Leukocytosis - an increase in the level of leukocytes.
  • Oncological diseases.
  • Hemoglobin is below 90 G / l.
  • Blood clotting disorders (coagulopathy).
  • Hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, syphilis.
  • Diabetes mellitus in the stage of decompensation.
  • Autoimmune diseases.
  • Pregnancy and lactation.
  • Mental disorders.

Procedure:

PRP joint therapy takes about 20 minutes and includes the following steps:

  • Venous blood sampling with prp tubes in the amount of 7-30 ml.
  • Centrifugation.
  • Collection of PRP and injection of autologous plasma into the problem area.

Frequency of procedures:

The treatment regimen is formed individually and includes from 3 to 5 procedures with a frequency of 1 time in 7-14 days.