Nursing a Persistent Overuse Injury? Ease Pain, Accelerate Healing, and Restore Function with PRP

Persistent overuse injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, runner’s knee, and golfer’s elbow are common but crippling. Unfortunately, they often worsen over time, increasing your risk of chronic pain and mobility issues. 

The good news is you don’t have to suffer. Minimally invasive procedures, like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, can relieve discomfort, reduce inflammation, and promote healing.

At Ample Health in Carmichael, California, board-certified internists Deeraj Kamra, MD, and Yelena Popova, PA, regularly prescribe PRP for painful overuse injuries. 

Here, we explain how PRP works, highlight some of the injuries it can effectively treat, and discuss how many treatments it takes to experience noticeable results.

Platelet-rich plasma therapy: An overview

PRP is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that uses natural growth factors (platelets) to support your body’s natural healing process. 

During treatment, we inject a blood-based solution into an injured area, like a sprained ligament or torn muscle. After the solution enters your body, it increases circulation to the treatment site, reducing inflammation, and prompting the growth of healthy cells and tissue.

To understand how PRP works, you first need a brief primer on blood. Although blood is a liquid, it also contains microscopic solids, including white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.

Platelets primarily help with clotting, but they also contain growth factors that heal injuries and help blood vessels grow. These unique abilities make them ideal for treating persistent overuse injuries.

PRP therapy isolates platelets from the rest of your blood and converts them into a concentrated solution. After we inject it into your body, PRP supports healing and recovery.

What types of overuse injuries can PRP therapy treat?

At Ample Health, we use PRP therapy to treat various overuse injuries, including:

• Tennis elbow
• Jumper’s knee and runner’s knee
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Plantar fasciitis
• Chronic neck and back pain
• Rotator cuff injuries
• Ligament and tendon injuries
• Achilles tendinitis

Sometimes, we prescribe PRP therapy for osteoarthritis (wear-and-tear arthritis). Though there’s no way to replace damaged cartilage, a series of PRP injections can reduce pain, increase joint lubrication, and help draw nutrient-rich blood to the affected joint (or joints).

PRP therapy for overuse injuries: What to expect

PRP therapy for persistent overuse injuries usually takes an hour or less.

At the beginning of your appointment, we draw blood from your arm, transfer it to a vial, and place the vial in a machine called a centrifuge. The centrifuge spins rapidly, separating the platelets from the rest of your blood.

Once the platelet-rich solution is ready, we transfer it to a syringe. Then, we administer a series of injections near the injury site, such as a swollen knee or torn shoulder ligament. The PRP solution increases blood flow to the injury, reduces inflammation, and speeds up your natural recovery process.

After treatment, there’s no downtime or recovery period. You can return to work and other activities immediately. Some people experience mild swelling and bruising at the injection site, but symptoms are typically mild and improve within 48 hours.

Will I need more than one PRP treatment?

Our Ample Health team usually recommends a series of three PRP treatments spaced four to six weeks apart.* If your symptoms continue after these initial treatments, you might benefit from a fourth series of injections. 

At each visit, we reassess your overuse injury, ask about your symptoms, and complete diagnostic imaging. These steps ensure the treatment effectively relieves pain, accelerates healing, and restores function.

Contact us at Ample Health in Carmichael, California,  if you’re suffering from a persistent overuse injury. Call our office to schedule PRP therapy or book your appointment online today.

*Individual treatment recommendations vary.