PRP Injection in Knee Calcification

Advances in harnessing the self-healing potential of the human body are exciting. PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma), one of the most popular examples of this regenerative treatment approach, is also used for the early treatment of knee arthritis and the results are quite successful.

Advances in harnessing the self-healing potential of the human body are exciting. PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma), one of the most popular examples of this regenerative treatment approach, is also used for the early treatment of knee arthritis and the results are quite successful.

Knee pain is one of the most common reasons for applying to orthopedic clinics. The most common cause of these pains, especially in societies with a high population over the age of 50, is knee arthritis. If we put trauma-related pain in a separate corner, knee arthritis has become more common as the average life expectancy increases and joint cartilage problems increase as a result of intense sports activities. Anadolu Health Center Orthopedics and Traumatology Specialist Dr. You can read Davud Yasmin’s information on the subject and the PRP application, an innovative treatment, in this article and share it with your loved ones who have knee pain.

Do New Treatments Bring a Smile?

We can briefly define knee arthritis as the weakening and deterioration of the structure of the knee cartilage, which allows our knee joints to move, for various reasons. However, this deterioration may cause the knee joint range of motion to decrease over time and make it difficult for the person to walk, decreasing the quality of life. This problem, which could not find a satisfactory medical solution for many years, is now easily treated with developing surgical treatments. In parallel with the advances in technology, the developments in regenerative treatment approaches, that is, benefiting from the self-healing potential of the human body, are exciting. PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma), which is used successfully especially for the early treatment of knee arthritis, is one of the most popular applications of this innovative perspective.

WHAT IS PRP?

PRP; It is a form of biological treatment consisting of the initials of the words “Platelet Rich Plasma” in English and obtained from the person’s own blood. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is a method that aims to benefit from the body’s self-healing abilities. The platelets in the main structure of PRP actually consist of cells that form clots that stop bleeding in cases of injury. However, these cells also have a structure that contains growth factors that contribute to the repair and healing of tissues. When these growth factors are activated, they can help repair damaged tissues by supporting the body’s own healing mechanisms. Regenerative treatment approaches exist to benefit from this feature of our body.

For PRP treatment, only one tube of blood taken from the patient is sufficient. The cells we call platelets in the blood taken are separated and a platelet-rich plasma fluid is obtained. While there are normally 150-400,000 platelets in 1 milliliter of blood, this rate can exceed 1 million in PRP. Another advantage of PRP is that it can activate local stem cells that are silent, which makes it a natural drug treatment.

How is PRP Applied?

The fact that the PRP procedure can be performed under outpatient clinic conditions is also a great advantage and convenience. The blood taken from the patient is kept in special tubes for approximately 4 hours and then centrifuged. During the incubation process, growth factors are increased with special activators, while the centrifugation process separates platelets from other blood cells and creates plasma liquid. In the next stage, this liquid is injected into the knee joint and the treatment is completed. PRP stands out as a biological treatment with few side effects.

Is It Suitable For Every Patient?

Knee arthritis is staged from 1 to 4, depending on the condition of the disease. 4 represents the most severe disease and 1 represents the initial state of knee osteoarthritis. It has been observed in the medical literature that the effect of PRP applications is very good, especially in stage 1 and stage 2 patients, and that it relieves pain in stage 3 patients. For stage 4 patients, the most appropriate option is not PRP, but surgical knee prosthesis applications.

PRP; It is not applied to those who have a family history of cancer, those who use blood thinners, those who have blood diseases, those who have infection and inflammation in the area to be treated, those who are pregnant and breastfeeding.

As a result, PRP application is a regenerative injection treatment method that is easily accessible, practical, has few side effects and reduces pain in cases of knee arthritis. While PRP injection helps preserve knee functions in patients with early-stage knee arthritis, it also improves the person’s quality of life by reducing pain.

What are the advantages of PRP?

• Practice is applied.
• It provides fewer side effects.
• It relieves pain.
• It activates stem cells.

Is a Single Dose of PRP Enough?

Generally, 2-3 doses are recommended at intervals of 15 days or 3 weeks, depending on the degree of the disease.