The use of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) must be stopped one week before the therapy and abandoned throughout the treatment.

Strenuous physical activity is not recommended.

Benefits

Research indicates that the procedure will gain prominence as the first choice of treatment, for reasons both medical and financial. Some of the highlights of PRP are the following:-

• It is a non-surgical option
• It uses the body’s own cells for healing
• It is an option to be considered when there is no immediate cure
• Costs far less ($ 2000) compared to any other surgical procedures
• The entire procedure lasts for not more than twenty minutes
• Short recovery time
• It may reduce or even completely eliminate the need for complicated treatments like, aggressive medications or surgery

Expert Speak

Dr. Allan Mishra, an assistant professor of orthopedics, Stanford University Medical Center who is also a primary researcher in the field, says "I think it’s fair to say that platelet-rich plasma has the potential to revolutionize not just sports medicine but all of orthopedics. It needs a lot more study, but we are obligated to pursue this."

In a 2006 study, Dr. Mishra administered PRP therapy on 15 out of 20 patients who suffered from tennis elbow and who were considering surgical options. The remaining 5 patients were given just an anesthetic. After a lapse of two months, the patients who were administered PRP therapy reported a 60 percent improvement in pain (which was analysed through specific measurements), compared to only 16 percent improvement reported by those who received the anesthetic.

Dr. Mishra said that he was particularly encouraged by the impact of PRP therapy. His study was published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine.

Dr. Gerjo van Osch, who is doing research at the orthopedics department of the Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands said, "This could be a method to stimulate wound healing in areas that are not well-vascularized, like ligaments and tendons."

Ongoing research

Dr. van Osch is currently involved in a randomized, double blind study on the effect of PRP therapy on fifty four patients suffering from Achilles' tendon injuries.

Research is underway in USA, India and Sweden to study the effect of PRP therapy in rotator-cuff shoulder strains, partial knee-ligament tears and bone fractures. Researchers are also evaluating the effectiveness of PRP therapy in combination with surgery as a better treatment option to reduce recovery time.

Being safe and cost-friendly puts PRP therapy high on the list of therapeutics. Nevertheless, there is general consenses that more studies are required to determine its effective use in mainstream treatment.

Source-Medindia
Dr. Reeja Tharu/L