PRP Shoulder Pain Therapy in North Hills - Raleigh, NC
What is Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy?
The shoulder is a combination of several joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles which work together to provide you with a wide range of motion. When a shoulder injury occurs, stiffness, swelling, pain, and mobility issues may ensue, significantly impacting your quality of life.
Over 80 percent of shoulder pain involves soft tissue damage—and well over half of soft tissue injuries involve the rotator cuff. Traditional shoulder pain treatment typically requires steroid injections, oral medication, activity modification, or surgery. However, for those who seek more natural treatment with long-term results, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is quickly becoming the go-to therapy for shoulder pain. PRP injections for shoulder arthritis or injury utilizes platelets and growth factors, harvested from your blood, to trigger your body’s natural healing response.
If your shoulder is stiff, if you lack the strength for your normal activities, or if you cannot rotate your arm normally, it is important to consult a qualified healthcare provider. PRP therapy just might be the solution for your shoulder pain, and is particularly attractive as a shoulder surgery alternative. To schedule a consultation with a qualified healthcare practitioner in North Hills - Raleigh that specializes in PRP shoulder pain therapy, call (919) 301-0841 or contact Family Wellness Clinic & Regenesis MD online.
How Do PRP Shoulder Injections Work?
Your blood is comprised of plasma, a liquid containing white and red blood cells, along with platelets. Platelets are activated in response to injury, stepping in to clot blood and facilitate healing. These platelets contain proteins called growth factors, which are critical in healing injuries.
PRP treatment for shoulder pain is formulated from your blood plasma. The platelets in your plasma are concentrated using a centrifuge so that the resulting plasma is five to ten times richer in platelets than normal blood plasma. When this enriched plasma or PRP is injected into a soft tissue or joint injury in your shoulder, PRP’s concentrated platelets and growth factors trigger healing and begin to repair damaged cartilage, muscle, ligaments, and tendons. It is also theorized that with platelet-rich plasma therapy, shoulder pain may be reduced through various mechanisms, including:
- Inhibition of inflammation
- Action upon pain receptors
- Formation of new cartilage, blood vessels or other tissue in tendons, ligaments, and muscles
The advantage of PRP injections is that unlike pain medication or steroid injections which bring only temporary symptomatic relief, PRP injections trigger long-term healing of the injury.
Who is a Good Candidate for PRP Therapy for Shoulder Pain?
Good candidates for a PRP injection for shoulder pain include individuals who:
- Experience pain severe enough to interfere with their daily activities
- Wish to avoid steroids and pain medications
- Have not been helped by physical therapy or other treatments
- Cannot take NSAIDs to reduce inflammation
- Want to avoid surgery
Because PRP uses your blood placed in a centrifuge to concentrate your platelets, there is no allergic response or risk using PRP injections, even in deep tissue. However, because the process involves your blood being removed, centrifuged, and then reinjected, there is always a risk of infection. The following individuals should discuss the risks of PRP injections with their healthcare provider:
- Pregnant women
- People with compromised immunity, antibiotic resistance or frequent infections
- Individuals who have bleeding disorders or who are on blood thinners
- People with anemia
- People with advanced shoulder damage that may require surgery
What to Expect Using PRP Injections for Shoulder Pain
PRP treatments for shoulder pain are usually conducted in your healthcare practitioner’s office. Appointments require no more than an hour usually. Upon arrival, your healthcare provider will first draw and centrifuge your blood to concentrate your platelets. When the injection is prepared, a numbing agent may be used before the injection or included in the serum being injected to minimize any pain and discomfort associated with the injection.
PRP injections require extreme precision and must be made directly at the point of injury. Your healthcare provider may use ultrasounds during the injection procedure to improve accuracy.
Most people experience improvement after the first treatment, but ongoing sessions may be required and should be spaced at least one month apart. Minimal pain or inflammation may initially occur at the site of treatment, but since PRP contains its own pain-relieving properties, it normally provides its own pain relief. The joint may be painful or swollen for 2-3 days, but PRP shoulder recovery is typically a quick process.
Using your body’s platelet-rich plasma can be a safe and effective way to heal and repair your body from a shoulder injury or chronic shoulder pain. Request more information about PRP shoulder injections today. Call (919) 301-0841 or contact Family Wellness Clinic & Regenesis MD online.
Family Wellness Clinic & Regenesis MD
Address
8020 Creedmoor RdRaleigh, NC 27613
(919) 301-0841
www.regenesismd.com