Advanced techniques and treatments — including platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections — are available from the podiatry team at Healthy Step Podiatry. Located in Midtown East and the Financial District of New York City, the team includes Vito La Puma, DPM, who offers cutting-edge PRP treatments to alleviate chronic pain and injuries. Determine if PRP is right for your condition by scheduling a consultation online or by phone today.
What is platelet-rich plasma?
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a natural solution of your own blood platelets that can be injected into injured tissues in your body to speed up healing. Blood platelets contain oxygen, nutrients, and clotting factors that help repair tears and damage to muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints.
Adding platelets to an injured area introduces more of these healing factors into the area and allows your body to heal more quickly through natural methods.
How does platelet-rich plasma work?
In podiatry, PRP works in three ways. First, PRP stimulates revascularization — meaning that it brings additional blood flow to an injured area — that can trigger your natural healing response. Second, PRP increases the necessary growth factors in an injured area to stimulate tissue healing on a cellular level.
Third, PRP can reduce inflammation associated with chronic conditions in order to stimulate healing. With chronic issues, your body is constantly experiencing inflammation, which further breaks down tissues in the injured areas. With PRP, the tissue environment changes to reduce inflammation and chronic pain, allowing for your body to heal fully.
What conditions can platelet-rich plasma help?
At Healthy Step Podiatry, the team uses PRP for:
- Tendon issues, including Achilles tendinitis
- Plantar fasciitis
- Ligament injuries, including ankle and toe sprains
- Bone augmentation, which helps fractures heal more quickly than usual
- Wound healing
To determine if PRP is right for you, the team performs a comprehensive exam of your feet and discusses your medical history and overall health. If you have a bleeding disorder or active infection, PRP may not be right for you.
What can I expect when getting platelet rich plasma?
Getting PRP involves a three-step process. The first step is obtaining a small sample of blood — typically from your arm — for processing. This is the same procedure as donating blood or having your blood tested. Next, your blood is put into a centrifuge to separate the platelets from your other blood cells.
Your provider then adds a thickening agent to your platelets to turn it into a gel-like solution. Finally, this gel solution is injected with a sterile needle into the injured area. This injection takes less than 10 minutes. Afterward, you can return to your normal activities without downtime.
It may take several weeks or a couple of months to notice a difference in your condition. The Healthy Step team may recommend additional treatments, depending on your diagnosis.
To learn more about PRP for your condition, call Healthy Step Podiatry or schedule a visit online.