Is all Platelet-Rich Plasma created equal?

By Farhan Malik, MD
Atlanta Innovative Medicine

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been around for decades as a healing therapy but has seen explosive growth in the medical field in recent years. That’s due in part to people’s desire for treatments that address the root cause of a health problem rather than mask it with potentially harmful drugs or undergo the possible pitfalls of surgery.

But is all PRP created equal by different medical providers? Not by a long shot. Before we delve into the factors that make certain forms and deliveries of PRP better than others, let’s recap some basics about this form of regenerative medicine.

What is PRP?
Our blood contains platelets that are essentially little packets of powerful growth factors floating in the bloodstream. These growth factors (GF) come in many forms and with very medical sounding names. It is those growth factors that run to the aid of damaged tissue in order to repair it. Whenever you cut yourself, these growth factors not only clot the bleeding, but also repair the damaged areas. This is why PRP can be so incredibly effective. However, you must understand that not all PRP is created equal.

PRP is harvested by collecting a small sample of the patient’s blood and processing it in order to extract and concentrate the platelets. This concentrate is then injected into the injured area of the body, promoting cellular regrowth to help heal degenerated and damaged tendons, ligaments, discs, cartilage and even nerves in some cases.

How are some forms better?
Among practices that offer PRP treatments for musculoskeletal conditions, the vast majority are limited to concentrations of two to five times, which is called regular PRP. However, it is possible to concentrate PRP to 20 times normal levels—and even higher concentration can be achieved with the right equipment and training. This is called super concentrated PRP or SC-PRP, and it is not available everywhere.

To imagine the benefits, think of yourself as a finely tuned machine. The more horsepower you give a sports car, the faster and more powerful it will be. The same applies with PRP. The more concentrated the platelets are, the more growth factor packets work in your favor, and thus the more powerful the healing potential.