Not All PRP is the Same!
&srotate=0)
Don't waste your time with an inferior PRP injection!
With the meteoric rise in popularity of regenerative medicine procedures such as platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) injections as a treatment for a variety of medical conditions, there is much misinformation and confusion regarding the more in-depth aspects of the subject matter. For instance, most people that hear about PRP are under the impression that all PRP injections are alike in how they are processed and delivered. Not to mention, most people also think that all regenerative medicine healthcare providers are equally competent in their knowledge of regenerative medicine and their procedural training. However, this is not the case. Not all PRP is equal and not all regenerative medicine providers are equal.
What makes a PRP injection with Regenexx superior?
Regenerative medicine is a school in medicine that revolves around the idea that a provider can prompt your own body to heal itself by enhancing the body’s self-healing mechanisms. PRP is an important component for many regenerative medicine procedures. It is an injection that utilizes a patient’s own concentrated blood platelets and growth factors to assist the healing process in common injuries, tendonitis, mild arthritis, and other orthopedic conditions. Regenexx is a company that is trailblazing the field of regenerative medicine with extensive training for providers and research-driven optimization of regenerative medicine-based operative procedures.
Regenexx-SCP (Super Concentrated Platelets) is the best form of PRP for any targeted treatments. This form of PRP is different from other forms of PRP because of the substantial amount of work that is put into separating the beneficial platelets from other blood products which can lead to a much higher platelet concentration that is often 20 to 40 times normal whole blood platelet concentrations. Unlike the typical bedside PRP concentrations which are usually 3 to 5 times that of normal whole blood platelet concentrations, these higher concentrations of PRP obtained from the Regenexx SCP technique would prompt the release of more growth factors that will result in a more robust response to the injection. The processing also does a better job at filtering out unwanted contaminants which can ultimately decrease the desired effect of the injection.
How do Regenexx-affiliated and trained providers process PRP differently?
The way Regenexx-SCP is processed makes a difference to the quality of the treatment in many ways. Regenexx-SCP ultimately reduces white and red blood cell contamination in the concentration, unlike bedside machines that produce samples with a high likelihood of including these undesirable cells after centrifugation. The reason why is that Regenexx-SCP is processed in a lab-grade sterile biosafety cabinet with a more powerful centrifuge and more advanced techniques that result in a mixture with fewer contaminants. Regenexx-SCP is easily distinguishable from standard PRP in regards to the color of the injectate. Characteristically, the process for Regenexx-SCP outputs an amber-colored PRP solution that is much purer than other PRP, which often takes a deeper red tone due to the presence of red blood cell contaminants. This is important to keep in mind because a standard PRP injection that is very red in color and full of contaminants that are pro-inflammatory likely will result in unneeded inflammation and inhibition of the response of one’s local stem cells thereby decreasing the desired effect of the injection. With contaminants decreasing the response of the injection, the benefits of the injection will most likely be decreased.
PRP injections are often not covered by insurance and can be expensive for patients. If the PRP injection does not have the desired effects, patients often receive multiple repeat injections which can be quite expensive. Therefore it is important that the patient maximizes their chances of having a beneficial reaction from their PRP injection by making sure that the PRP that they receive is well-processed.
Why choose a Regenexx provider for your PRP injection?
Processing platelet concentrations using the Regenexx-SCP method creates a mixture that is not only pure but customizable. This contributes to maximizing the chance of the best outcome for a given treatment for regenerative medicine patients. Regenexx is also one of the oldest and most robust organizations within the field of regenerative medicine with their own research arm. Furthermore, the philosophy behind Regenexx’s methods of treatment is to treat the whole area of injury and not only treat the MRI results because multiple muscles and tendons can play a role in the stability of a joint or tissue. By having a much more comprehensive approach to a joint or orthopedic injury, the idea would be that all the structures of the joint would be strengthened following a Regenexx PRP injection.
Lastly, PRP injections are performed by a variety of different healthcare providers from cosmetologists to physicians. Not all of these providers are well trained in the field of regenerative medicine and the quality and safety of their procedures can be variable. The injections performed by Regenexx-trained providers are always performed safely under either ultrasound or fluoroscopic guidance. All Regenexx-affiliated providers have been well trained in the operative techniques of PRP and Stem Cell injections.
In Conclusion
There are many different reasons to receive a PRP injection for your orthopedic condition however the differing quality of PRP processing and provider training can result in variable quality of PRP injections with different regenerative medicine providers. The process in which Regenexx-SCP PRP has been processed ultimately results in the better treatment of an orthopedic injury when compared to the conventional bedside PRP kits that are used by most providers.
Author: Samira Chowdury
Editor: Ospina Medical Team