Hello again to my dear Sjogren's friends.
I have been reinvestigating the use of Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy to repair muscle tears, and would like to hear from anyone who has attempted its use. Few studies have been done on PRP, and internet reviews are all over the place. I know there is no way to know if it will work for me but it would be nice to know of just one person who has done this.
Basically they remove a small amount of blood from the person being treated and put into a centrifuge. This separates platelets from the other blood components, then the concentrated platelets are injected into the area of the person's body that needs to be treated. The process can promote healing and reduce inflammation. So they theorize anyway.
I'm desperate for pain relief. That's the bottom line. And pain medication just doesn't fix the problem.
Carebear, I had an orthopedic doc recommend it to me but I didn't do it because it was pricey. I also got a 2nd opinion and they gave me some exercises that really helped me out. It seems to be cutting edge medicine but one shot was $750 and I think the price goes up from there. The doc that recommended this to me took care of a lot of professional athletes. If my knee started bothering me again, I'd do it.
Did you have a doctor recommend this to you or get a medical opinion on this yet??
Hi Deb,
I did receive a recommendation three years ago by a physiatrist to have one of two therapies- either prolotherapy or PRP therapy. I chose not to at that time because the specialists did not seem overly optimistic about the outcome, and the expense and time commitment (especially for prolotherapy) was a considerable negative.
The recommendation came after several months of physiotherapy with little improvement. That was when the torn muscle was discovered too.
So after a three year break I am returning to physio this coming week. The new clinic offers PRP and prolotherapy, as well as acupuncture, dry needling of trigger points and massage, just to name a few adjunct therapies.
I am really unwell these days, so I feel pretty desperate for an improvement. I'm not going to stop this time until I am well. But I am starting from scratch once again, and it does feel daunting.
Sorry it's been such a tough journey for you. We deal with so much. Sounds like you are ready to try anything that would help. Keep us posted and let us know if it works for you. Best of luck.