Stem Cell Therapy and PRP Therapy

PRP vs. Stem Cell Therapy for Healing

Platelet rich plasma (PRP) therapy and stem cell therapy are two discrete treatments in regenerative medicine which are used to treat a host of conditions in or injuries to the human body. Some uses include treatment for hair loss, achieving more youthful, smoother skin, or to address musculoskeletal pain, either of these treatments can be effective at achieving these goals.

In today’s regenerative medicine, PRP or stem cells are often used to treat a variety of injuries or orthopedic conditions. For example, in the world of sports a person may get a damaged ligament or tendon. They may have a wound following surgery, joint damage caused by arthritis or a bone fracture.

When deciding on a treatment and which of these you choose between, let’s discuss what each of them means in terms of what you, the patient will experience.

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy

How PRP Therapy is Performed

PRP therapy is the process which begins by taking platelet-rich plasma from your own blood. As you know platelets make up a portion of blood and through various processes we can concentrate the amount of platelets in a sample. We do this with a simple withdrawal as you would experience in any regular lab test. Utilizing the growth factors and healing properties of PRP we can treat an injury or condition. Your blood is made up of a number of things, one of them is platelets. These are responsible for helping your body to start to heal when you experience an injury. Sometimes (quite often, actually), people who are enduring orthopedic injuries find that their condition is not completed healed. In a similar vein, some people find their recovery from a surgery or from some kind of injury turns out to be a very long process. PRP therapy can help address both situations.

In one case, lets say you have an injury which happened long ago but that is still causing symptoms. PRP therapy is used to help get the healing started in the area of that injury, so that your symptoms ultimately diminish or go away. Additionally, PRP therapy is used to speed up healing in an area that may have otherwise healed at a much reduced rate. In all cases these healing responses are triggered by injecting that highly concentrated PRP into the area of your body giving you problems. After being injected, the platelets do their “duty” and ameliorate the issue whih is causing symptoms.

Stem Cell Therapy

Stem cell therapy differs from PRP therapy. Whereas platelets are taken from your blood, stem cells are taken from fat deposits or your bone marrow. Stem cells are co-called “unspecialized” cells that can replace a number of different, so-called “specialized” cells in your body (cells that perform a specific function), where necessary. In contrast to platelets, stem cells are not as plentiful – each person has a limited number of them in their fat deposits or bone marrow. Because of this, extracting stem cells is more complex than the job of isolating platelets from a blood sample.

With stem cell therapy, a physician will remove stem cells from bone marrow or a fat deposit either by an incision or with needle (whichever is easiest). From this he or she will create a concentrated solution of these stem cells. This concentrated solution is injected into the body’s problem area(s). The stem cells injected into the area will replace the specialized cells that are needed for healing, acting as a catalyst for a healing response. Stem cells are so versatile that they can even form new tissue that is needed in a person’s body – for us in regenerative medicine it is truly a revolutionary treatment.

Stem Cell Therapy and PRP Therapy in Burbank and Los Angeles, CA

Are you interested in finding out whether PRP or stem cell therapy can help you with healing and/or relief from your specific condition or orthopedic injury? Visit the stem cell and PRP professionals at FemCare to find out.

Do you have a musculoskeletal issue or perhaps a sports injury or a that could benefit from our regenerative medicine? Call us today at 818-357-5886 for a consultation or for more information.