Role of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) in knee arthritis

Bone health should be everyone’s priority because one cannot lead a healthy lifestyle with troubles related to bones especially arthritis. it is time, we take proper care of your health now.

• $30 billion spend yearly on knee replacements.
• Should we keep treating it with the traditional methods?
• Or should we Treat it in a way that can use the body’s own healing ability without all the typical side effects?

REGENERATIVE MEDICINE:

• Offers ground breaking techniques to treat and control arthritis.
• Avoid more invasive treatment options.

NORMAL KNEE:

• Knee is a critical joint
• Commonly damaged
• Commonly develops arthritis
• Cartilages smooth and strong/resilient
• Ligaments maintain stability
• Meniscus provides cushioning
• Good viscosity of the fluid

KNEE ARTHRITIS:

• Cartilage wears out often to bone
• Inflammation develops in joint
• Reduced lubrication / cushioning – hyaluronic acid
• Knee deforms and becomes unstable
• Knee becomes painful, swollen and stiff

TRADITIONAL TREATMENT:

• What is typically offered to patients
• Rest, Ice and brace
• Physiotherapy
• Medications
• NSAID
• Corticosteroid and Surgery

 IS THERE SOMETHING WITH TRADITIONAL TREATMENT METHODS:

• Rest, Ice and brace – NO
• Physiotherapy – NO
• Medications – yes
• Corticosteroid Injection – yes
• Surgery- yes

REST ,ICEING and BRACE:

• Certainly helpful
• No negative effects
• Comforting
• Reduces pain
• Patient can do these on their own at their own discretion

PHYSIOTHERAPY:

• Certainly helpful
• Strengths
• Mobility
• Home exercise program
• Prevents further injury
• Often invaluable for prevention and to help in recovery

Medications – NSAIDs

• Prescription and OTC
• How many side ulcers
• Bleeding
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Kidney
• Liver
• One of highest causes of hospitalization and death in elderly
• Expensive
• Many pulled off market because of safety issues (Vioxx,Bextra)

CORTICOSTEROID INJECTION:

• Depo-medrol, kenalog , celestone
• Do reduce inflammation – but for a very limited time frame

Complications- not trivial !

• Flare reactions
• Soft tissue damage – ligaments , tendons
• Cartilage deterioration-decreased cartilage cell viability- softens cartilage
• Osteoporosis- softens bones
• Skin atrophy – deep pigmentation
• These Complications produce effects that are completely contrary to what the patient needs and wants !

MEDICATIONS – oral and injectables:

• Produce effects in the body that are completely unnatural
• Produce effects that are damaging
• Blocks normal inflammatory cascades
• Block healing mechanisms
• Block biological pathways that are necessary for proper healing of damaged tissues

SURGERY :

• May be needed in some situations- with proper indications
• Significant risks
• Invasive
• Once done is irreversible
• Long recovery
• Complications

  SURGERY – COST:

• Knee replacement- cost would be ranging from 1 to 3 lakhs

WHAT ABOUT PLATELET RICH PLASMA TREATMENT- PRP

     A natural way to stimulate the body to heal damaged tissue

HOW DOES PRP WORK FOR ARTHRITIS?

• Stimulates body natural healing process
• Balances inflammation and anti inflammatory
• Reduces inflammation and pain
• Stimulates chondrocytes to strengthen cartilage
• Increased hyaluronic acid secretion and superficial zone protein
• Inhibits and reverses osteoarthritis pathogenesis pathways ( interleukin, aggrecan, nuclear factor B)

PRP stops and reverses Arthritic process:

• Strengthens the cartilage – increases the cartilage cell viability
• Improves protective viscosity of the joint fluid
• Reverses osteoarthritic pathways
• MRI and functional have shown that PRP halt the progressive thinning of cartilage and improves function

PRP Advantages:

• Autologous
• Natural
• Safe
• Stimulates/ activates normal healing pathways that the body already has
• Does not have the inherent negative effects seen with medications ( oral and injectables)
• Can avoid or delay surgery
• Can be outpatient setting
• Can initiate rehabilitation quickly
• Long lasting results
• Can be safely repeated if needed

PRP of knee arthritis :

• Not all PRPS are alike
• Intra-articular PRP must be appropriately prepared
• Reduce inflammation, stimulates chondrocytes, increase hyaluronic acid protection
• Proper experience and equipment required
• Reduce erythrocyte and granulocytes in preparation
• Maintain high platelet and growth factor levels

PRP FOR KNEE ARTHRITIS:

        A Natural way to treat the symptoms of knee arthritis  and help to preserve the structure and function of the knee in its natural state for an extended period of time.

For further information and consultation: