Ep. 7: The Good, The Bad, & The Truth About PRP

PART 1 

Hey everyone, welcome back to the NJRI channel. It’s Dr. Jay Bowen here and today  I’m excited to kick off our new series that I’m calling – “The Good, The Bad, and The TRUTH About Regenerative Medicine”.  My team and I have worked hard to curate episodes for this series that will help you to understand the nitty gritty of the procedures we offer in our office, why we believe in them, and where they came from. Today, we’re exploring a topic that’s been making waves in the medical community: Platelet-Rich Plasma, or PRP. Ever wondered what it is, how it works, and where it came from? Stick around as I unravel the good, the bad, and the truth behind PRP. Let’s get started!

Part 2 

First things first, let’s break down what PRP actually is. PRP stands for Platelet-Rich Plasma. It’s a component of your own blood that has a higher concentration of platelets compared to regular blood.

Part 3 

To understand PRP, you need to know a bit about blood. Blood is made up of several components: red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, and platelets.  Plasma is the liquid part of your blood, while platelets are tiny cells that play a key role in healing and repair. These are the cells that become activated when you cut yourself and start to bleed. Think of the platelets as rushing to stop the bleeding by forming a clot.  In a way, they’re your innate bandaid! These activated platelets release growth factors to assist in healing the injury.  This is what we are trying to exploit via PRP.  THE GOOD of PRP is that it’s an autologous procedure, meaning it’s made from your blood and goes back to you. In my 20+ years as a physician I’ve seen PRP provide miraculous recovery for so many patients!  In other videos, you may have heard me discuss DataBiologics.  Drs. Malanga, Rogers, and I founded DataBiologics in 2018 to track patient outcomes. DataBiologics has been essential to our goal of improving patient outcomes. The data we’ve collected on PRP has helped tons of practitioners realize the incredible value of platelet-rich plasma and over the last 6 years it has become a much more common procedure. 

So, in a unique way DataBiologics is helping to grow the good of PRP.

Part 4 

Now, back to how we actually create PRP. To create it, a small sample of your blood is taken via venipuncture, like when you go for a blood test. Then , the blood is taken and it is processed in a centrifuge.  This machine spins the blood at super high speeds, separating it into its different components. The result is the fluid or plasma on top with a compact layer we call the buffy coat including platelets and white blood cells and the red blood cells that are the oxygen carrying cells on the bottom.  The middle layer with the concentrated platelets is then removed and placed in sufficient fluid or plasma to resuspend the platelets to deliver them to the desired site.

Part 5 

Why do we need this concentrated platelet solution? Well, platelets contain growth factors that are crucial for tissue repair and regeneration like I said before. By concentrating these growth factors, PRP can enhance the body’s natural healing process!  Now, let’s take a quick trip back in time. The concept of using blood for healing isn’t entirely new. In fact, the origins of PRP are old, but in modern times it was the 1970s when it was included in surgical procedures. Researchers discovered that by concentrating platelets, they could significantly improve recovery and healing. Initially, PRP was used in dental and cardiovascular surgeries. Over time, its benefits became more apparent, leading to its use in a variety of fields, from sports medicine to dermatology.

In sports medicine, for instance, PRP has gained popularity for treating injuries like tendonosis and ligament tears. This first big news was in early 2009 when Hines Ward from the Pittsburgh Steelers had PRP to the knee prior to the SuperBowl and since that time has gained exposure outside the medical community.  Athletes and weekend warriors alike use it to speed up recovery and get back in the game faster. And it doesn’t stop there! PRP is also making waves in dermatology. It’s used in treatments for hair loss and skin rejuvenation as well as sexual health. The idea is that the growth factors in PRP can stimulate blood flow for hair follicles, sexual organs and improve skin texture. Some of our patients will take home their leftover PRP ( – PPP – ) that wasn’t used in the procedure and use it as a “facial”! So, a treatment with us is a 2 in 1 – relieve your pain and get a free facial! I guess you could say that’s another “good” thing about PRP.  PRP treatments generally involve injecting the concentrated plasma with platelets into the area of the body that needs healing. This procedure is minimally invasive and utilizes your body’s natural ability to repair itself. Thus, PRP treatment is perfectly in line with our goal here at NJRI to release your intrinsic ability to heal.

Part 6 

Of course, while many people have had positive results, PRP is not a miracle cure. Its effectiveness can vary depending on the condition being treated and individual factors.  The healthier one is and the less severe the disease or injury usually means a better outcome.  Normally, patients I see with tendon and ligament issues have the most success with PRP. Patients with cartilage issues or arthritis tend to receive some benefit, but I am still surprised that some obtain great results.

Unfortunately, the varied results of patients who elect to have PRPs have led to a bad rep for the procedure. The TRUTH is that PRP usually doesn’t fail because the solution is ineffective. Rather, there is not a regulated way to administer the product. Sometimes, practitioners perform PRPs on patients who won’t benefit from the procedure and sometimes they just simply don’t perform the PRP correctly. So, the TRUTH is PRP isn’t bad or ineffective but rather there are various cases where it’s not the correct treatment options or doctors don’t administer it correctly.

Another common “PRP fact” I hear is that it’s BAD since it’s not FDA approved. There is some truth to this simple statement but it’s not the whole truth. Although the equipment used to produce PRP and the injections themselves have been cleared by the FDA, this procedure is considered investigational and has not been officially approved by the FDA for most uses. However, just because the procedure itself is investigational does not mean it’s “bad” ….

Part 7

So, there you have it—a brief overview of Platelet-Rich Plasma, its science, and its history. From its early days in medical research to its current applications, PRP represents a fascinating intersection of technology and biology.  We are still in the early phases to determine the appropriate patient, disease or injury that will respond best to PRP.  This is the reason we collect data on all of our treatments with DataBiologics.  As we amass enough data, we will have greater certainty of the best treatment for a given pathology or problem.  We have also undertaken a protocol driven process that does not just “drop the magic pixie dust” into an area, but addresses one’s overall health to maximize the patient’s outcomes and goals.

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From the whole team here at NJRI, we want to thank you for your continued support and for tuning in today. Stay healthy and see you next week for our video on the good, the bad, and the truth about MFAT.