PRP Specialist
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Hannon Orthopedics
Michael Hannon, M.D.
Orthopedic Surgeon located in Beverly Hills, CA
Regenerative medicine like PRP (platelet-rich plasma) therapy provides a safe, effective way to heal damaged tissues. PRP can often help you avoid surgery. If your condition could benefit from PRP treatment, Michael Hannon, MD, at Hannon Orthopedics in Beverly Hills, California, can help. Dr. Hannon and his team offer image-guided PRP injections to boost healing from many common hip, knee, and shoulder conditions. For relief of your musculoskeletal pain, call Hannon Orthopedics today or book an appointment online.
PRP Q&A
What is PRP?
PRP is short for platelet-rich plasma, an injectable substance that can heal damaged tissues.
Platelets are found in blood and are probably best known for their ability to start the clotting process when you bleed. Platelets also contain large quantities of what are called growth factors. Your body uses these growth factors to begin the repair process when you suffer an injury.
PRP uses concentrated amounts of growth factors to boost your body’s natural healing response. A member of the Hannon Orthopedics team harvests these growth factors from a sample of your blood. They inject them into the injured area to activate and speed up the repair process.
What can PRP treat?
Conditions PRP has successfully treated include common hip, knee, shoulder, and other joint problems like:
- Osteoarthritis
- ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) sprains
- MCL (medial collateral ligament) sprains
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Labral tears
- Meniscal tears
- Tendinitis
- Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder)
- Snapping hip syndrome
- Patellofemoral pain syndrome
The Hannon Orthopedics team assesses your condition to see if PRP would be helpful if conservative approaches like medication and physical therapy aren’t helping.
What happens when I have PRP?
The first stage of your PRP treatment is harvesting the platelets. A Hannon Orthopedics team member draws blood from your arm. The blood is put in a centrifuge — a machine that spins at high speed. The blood separates into:
- Platelets
- White and red blood cells
- Plasma (the liquid part of your blood)
The platelets and plasma create the PRP solution that your provider injects into the damaged tissues. They use image guidance technology to ensure that they inject the PRP into the heart of the injury and avoid damaging the surrounding tissues.
The injection should take only a few minutes. You can return home immediately afterward. You might feel a minor soreness or tenderness at the injection site, but this should soon wear off.
How soon will I feel the effects of PRP treatment?
PRP doesn’t work instantly like an anesthetic injection does. It takes time for the platelets to begin the healing process. It could be a few weeks before you start noticing a difference.
You might also need to have several PRP injections for the best effect. Once the treatments start working, you should feel less pain and improved function that could last for several years.
To benefit from PRP therapy for your musculoskeletal injury, call Hannon Orthopedics today or book an appointment online.