PRP Medicale Advise

'Be good to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone.'

So, I had PRP - - Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection - - this week. And I thought I'd share with youse buoyz how it went. Because, your shoulders & knees & hips have got to be hurtin' after a lifetime of surfing, lacrosse, baseball, football, other sports. And maybe this can offer some relief.

Reason: knee was killing me. Couldn't walk without limp; couldn't walk down even mild grades without pain; stairs were hell; this came on pretty bad the past 24 or so months.

Cause: so many hundreds of games as pro-level catcher, then pitcher, taking the pounding in the days before knee saver pads, many contact sports, years of pounding via sports from HS on up.

I went to see an ortho who specializes in knees. Xrays, MRI = not good. Recommends PRP. Ok.

Procedure: they take a vial of your blood from your arm. Nothing amazing there. Spin it in a centrifuge. Lay you back, inject into your knee. It's about as much pain as a hangnail, i.e., nearly nothing. Injection is over within 5 seconds.

Post-procedure:
Walk to car, drive home. Minor stiffness. Ice it that evening. Rest.

Next few days: take it easy, nothing load-bearing, no cycling or surfing, just normal civilian stuff.

And. I gotta say. This might be the placebo effect, ok, but I have zero pain in my knee post-procedure.

I have PT exercises scheduled for this coming week to strengthen. Then the second injection two weeks after #1.

No surfing for 6 weeks. No cycling, same. Just let the PRP work.

I am pretty keen to see how this works out. So far, so good.

Fire away with any questions. I'm as skeptical of this stuff as anyone - - but when my GP told me, oh, yah, you're going to try that, that's good 'cause I have an 80 yr old woman patient who was going to get her hip replaced by the cutters & she tried PRP & it's been over 3 yrs, no pain, full mobility, and she's not the only one of my patients - - that stuff works.

Cost:
$400 per injection plus the $30 visit fee; not covered by my insurance. Sucks, but in my world it's body first, wallet second. Worth it to me.







'It was used as early as the 1990s in maxillo-facial and plastic surgery. PRP injections are prepared from one to a few tubes of the patient’s own blood with strict aseptic technique. After being centrifuged, the activated platelets are injected into the abnormal tissue, releasing growth factors that recruit and increase the proliferation of reparative cells. Ultrasound imaging may or may not be used to guide the injection.

Several clinical studies have demonstrated that PRP injections have improved function and decreased pain to various maladies, including - but not limited to - elbow, wrist, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle tendonosis. Early work is also showing promise for osteoarthritis.

The side effects of PRP injections are very limited as the patient is utilizing their own blood, which they should have no reaction to. Some relative rest is needed immediately following the procedure, then usually followed by a progressive stretching and strengthening program.'

 

I'll keep you posted, thanks DP

 

Thx D-XX

And Z, you may want to look into this, for that knee - - seriously.

 

Heard that, too, regarding knee replacement. Trying to never have that done if at all possible.

Gotta figure that the technology is improving every few yrs, just hang in there until someone invents a way to replicate cartilage. Forget curing cancer, there's the mega-billion dollar idea: cartilage!

Thanks for the positive karma, gents, much appreciated.

Next injection: March 2. Will post progress when I have news. Will also post up reports from friends who are having PRP for shoulders that hurt when paddling.

 

Gracias to y'all on all counts.

And Barry, you know the saying 'lucky at cards unlucky at love' well that might be my lot in life bruddah, it's all good though.

Keed, I can't speak to the technology, wouldn't even try to do so.

Over the past 10 yrs, I've had both left & right knees meniscus 'scoped & shaved down. Immediate relief which has lasted for yrs, but of course that's just kicking the can down the road, right? Deferring the inevitable (arthritis).

Surgery is invasive, and has been linked to shortened life spans (stress on the body, the silent killer being stress). So, I try my darndest to avoid surgeries. If PRP is merely placebo effect, yet it somehow stimulates my mind to ease the pain, then I'm ok with it.

Kinda interesting stuff emerging lately in re the placebo effect: there is evidence that the placebos can actually trigger the release of brain chemicals that mimic the effect of real drugs and treatments. Once again demonstrating that our most powerful, and under-utilized, aspect is one's own mind.

Hey Betty, there are so many butchers out there. My brother had a similar thing happen to him as what happened to your friend. Cutter went in to his knee to shave down his meniscus, and decided on his own to shave the inside of my brother's kneecap. Holy effing keerist. Over a year later & my brother is still in constant pain from said unauthorized quackery. I might add, I told him not to use that guy - - but he went anyways because he was conveniently located.

Brings to mind the old joke.
What do you call the guy who graduated first in his class at med school?
Doctor.
What do you call the guy who graduated last in his class at med school?
Doctor.

Caveat emptor!

 

Good stuff! I'd really like to hear how that post-op goes regarding your shoulder procedure.

I've got a torn rotator & a torn labrum, same shoulder, but have managed to stave off the cutters with daily PT exercises that really worked out for me. PRP might be a possibility ....?