4 Habits That Support Strong Healthy Shoulder Joints
Daily habits influence shoulder health. Certain habits may harm shoulder health, while others can enhance it. Find out which habits to adopt to keep your shoulders strong and healthy.
PRP for Shoulder Pain: Here's What You Should Know
Shoulder pain can impact everything from daily activities to athletic performance. If you’ve been struggling with chronic shoulder pain, you’ve likely explored various treatment options. If conventional treatments have fallen short of resolving your shoulder pain, platelet-rich plasma therapy is worth considering.
This minimally invasive, biologic therapy uses your body’s own healing abilities to treat various injuries, including rotator cuff tears, tendonitis, and arthritis.
Orthopedic shoulder and sports medicine surgeon Matthew Pifer, MD, specializes in using biologic therapies to accelerate recovery from acute and chronic injuries, as well as surgery.
Keep reading to learn more about this innovative treatment and how it can help you improve shoulder pain.
How does PRP therapy work?
PRP therapy is a regenerative medicine technique that uses your own blood to promote healing.
The process involves drawing a small sample of your blood and placing it in a centrifuge to separate the platelets from other components. Research suggests these platelets are rich in beneficial growth factors that promote tissue repair and regeneration.
The PRP is injected directly into the injured area of your shoulder, targeting damaged tissues like tendons, ligaments, or cartilage. The high concentration of growth factors in PRP has been shown to accelerate your body’s natural healing process.
Once injected, the platelets get to work, reducing inflammation and improving pain. Because it’s derived from your own blood, PRP carries a low risk of allergic reactions or complications, making it a safe option for many people.
Conditions PRP can treat
PRP therapy is commonly used for several types of shoulder injuries and conditions, especially those that involve chronic pain or slow healing. Here are some of the most common shoulder conditions that PRP can help treat:
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Shoulder osteoarthritis
- Bursitis
- Tendonitis
If your shoulder pain isn’t responding to traditional treatment, discuss PRP therapy with Dr. Pifer.
What to expect during and after PRP treatment
PRP therapy is a quick and minimally invasive procedure. In most cases, you can expect your PRP therapy to be completed in less than an hour.
The process involves three main steps:
- Drawing your blood
- Processing the platelets
- Injecting the PRP into the target area
Most people experience minimal discomfort during the injection. If necessary, Dr. Pifer may use local anesthesia to numb the area.
After receiving PRP therapy, you can expect some mild soreness at the injection site for a few days. Recovery times vary. However, most people start to notice improvements in pain and function within a few weeks, with continued improvement over the next few months.
Why PRP is worth considering
PRP therapy is a breakthrough in orthopedic medicine. Leveraging your body’s own capacity for healing is safe and effective. This approach is ideal if you’re looking to avoid more invasive treatments or long-term medication use.
PRP is an excellent option for individuals who haven’t found relief through traditional treatments like physical therapy or anti-inflammatory medications. It can also be a valuable complementary therapy for athletes who want to speed up their recovery without compromising performance.
Tackle shoulder pain with biologic therapy
If shoulder pain is affecting your quality of life, you may be an excellent candidate for PRP therapy.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and learn if PRP is right for your shoulder pain. Don’t let pain hold you back any longer, leverage your body’s self-healing power to recover and get back to doing the things you love.
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