Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is a regenerative medicine treatment that uses a concentrate of a patient's own blood plasma, centrifuged to remove red blood cells while retaining a high concentration of platelets, injected into damaged tissue to stimulate healing. Because platelets carry multiple growth factors and other cytokines capable of stimulating the repair of soft tissue and joints, PRP is used across a range of specialties, most prominently sports medicine and orthopedics for conditions such as acute muscle strains, tendinopathy, tendinosis, muscle-fascial injuries and osteoarthritis, as well as in dermatology for androgenic alopecia, wound healing and skin rejuvenation, and in proctology for anal fistula. Evidence for its benefits has been mixed, showing effectiveness in some conditions and ineffectiveness in others, and various preparation protocols exist without a single standardized method.