Platelet-Rich Plasma
Treatment Overview
We provide this information to help you. If you have a specific question and don’t see an answer here, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We welcome the opportunity to develop your personalized treatment plan to get you back in action!
Seeing us for the first time? Please complete our New Patient Pre-Visit Questionnaire and bring it to your first appointment.
Dr. Joye’s experience and early adoption of PRP for spine and disc disease has made him the leading authority on the use of PRP and other orthobiologics in the spine in Charleston.
PRP was originally used in open heart surgery in 1987. Since then it has found uses in oral surgery, cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery, urology, ophthalmology, and wound healing.
The procedure involves performing a blood draw from the arm and using a centrifuge to separate the red blood cells from the platelets and plasma. After discarding the red blood cells, the remaining platelet/plasma suspension is spun again in the centrifuge to separate the platelets for injection into the target area on the same day. The procedure is similar to a blood sample you may give your primary doctor for a regular health check-up, but a larger needle has to be used in order not to damage the platelets.
Stem Cells
Amniotic / Placental Allografts
Allograft is a special placenta product first used as a surgical wound covering but has now found success in treating joint disease, particularly of the knee, shoulder, and hip, as well as tendonitis injuries such as tennis elbow and plantar fasciitis.
A Word From Dr. Joye
When choosing a clinic for your injection, Dr. Joye recommends patients follow the following PIVOT guidelines.
Do you know yours?
Ideally, your provider should use a special machine to count the number of platelets in your blood before and after concentrating them.
Less than 10% of all providers have one of these machines, but most experts insist they are necessary to deliver the best outcome for patients.
All PRP, and any other regenerative procedures, must be done under image guidance – either x-ray or ultrasound.
There is no other way to ensure the injection is in the right place.
Make sure your provider is using one or the other.
How much blood is being taken out of your arm?
Many clinics remove 10ml or 15ml of blood (about a tablespoon), while a few others will draw 60ml.
At InterveneMD, we have the unique ability to draw up to 120ml of blood, which enables us to treat many problem areas in one session if needed.
Few clinics track outcomes by enrolling patients in a registry.
Doing so allows us to see what treatments are the most helpful.
What is the educational background of the provider doing your injection?
Is it a medical doctor, physician assistant, chiropractor, or nurse?
What is his/her training?
How did he/she learn how to do the injection?
