PRP Treatment Now Available

A number of new studies have been published discussing the role of Platelet-Rich Plasma in treating patients with degenerative arthritis of the knee. Platelets are found in our blood and are responsible for blood clotting to prevent excessive bleeding. Platelets are also sources of cytokines, which regulate healing and tissue regeneration in the body. The theory of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy is the hope that if a concentrated amount of our own platelets are injected into the knee that it may lead to a healing of the degenerative changes which have occurred in the knee. In essence, it is a process of healing damaged cartilage in the knee.

The surfaces of our bones are lined by a smooth, glistening surface called articular cartilage which allows the bones to glide over each other. The loss of the articular cartilage allows bone to be exposed and the bone on bone grinding causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the knee. This is called degenerative arthritis.

We have been treating a number of patients with PRP in the office with exciting success at short term follow up. The process is done in the office and starts with the patient having a small amount of blood drawn by our staff. The blood is prepared by a special process which concentrates the platelets and other growth factors into a syringe. The “super-healing” concentrate (PRP) is then injected into the knee.

Recent studies in the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and The American Journal of Sports Medicine have indicated that PRP can be helpful in treating degenerative arthritis.
We are all committed at The Los Angeles Orthopaedic Institute to making our patients’ knees younger and, hopefully, avoiding surgery. Please contact us if you have knee pain and wish to discuss the new non-operative techniques which are now available.

Stay Healthy,
Dr. Sisto