Like most people, when you think of platelets, you think of blood clotting and scabs. And you’re not wrong. Platelets are tiny cells that circulate in your blood, banding together to stop injuries from bleeding.
But platelets are more than just a natural bandage, they also initiate the healing of your injury.
At LiveWell Pain Management in Elmwood Park, New Jersey, our physical medicine and interventional pain management physician, Dr. Nora Taha, takes an integrative approach to pain, utilizing a combination of therapies to reduce pain and reliance on pain medication. This includes the use of innovative regenerative medicine and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy.
What are platelets and how can they help you? Here, we want to tell you all about the power of platelets.
Your blood consists of plasma (liquid), red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Platelets are made in your bone marrow and are the smallest cells in your blood. When you have a cut, these platelets cluster together, forming a plug to stop the bleeding.
Platelets circulate in your blood as smooth discs, looking like a plate. When you have an injury, your platelets transform into a sticky, spiky substance that allows them to band together and make contact with the broken blood vessel to seal it.
This transformation also triggers the release of growth factors and specialized proteins from the platelet, initiating the healing process.
Doctors have been using platelets for therapy for more than 30 years. However, researchers continue to learn more about the power of platelets, improving the therapeutic process.
For platelet therapy, we first separate the platelets from the other components in your blood. Then we add the platelets back to a portion of your plasma, creating platelet-rich plasma (PRP).
PRP contains a much higher concentration of platelets than what normally circulates in your blood. We then inject the PRP directly into the injured area of your body to support or stimulate the healing process.
Many areas of medicine use PRP to treat a wide range of health concerns. At LiveWell Pain Management, we use PRP for musculoskeletal injuries and diseases like cartilage tears, strains, sprains, and arthritis.
If you have a soft tissue injury or degenerative joint condition that causes shoulder, elbow, or knee pain, then platelet therapy may help you.
Our goal is to provide treatments that support your body’s natural healing process, reducing your pain and improving your quality of life. Do you want to know more about the power of platelets and how they may help you? Call our office today or request an appointment online.
