Dr.ª Maria Miguel Carvalho

Specialist in Orthopaedics and Traumatology 
and Sports Medicine
Consultation of the Shoulder

Treatment with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in orthopaedic traumatology

HPA Magazine 8

The use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has become popular in Orthopaedics and Traumatology, especially in the field of Sports Medicine. Fractures, as well as tendon, muscle and cartilage lesions are treated more and more often with PRP.

Football players and other athletes are frequently treated with PRP and this has piqued the interest of the general public. Countless studies have evaluated the efficiency of PRP in diminishing inflammation and pain, in the improvement and accelerating the scarring process, increase in mobility and articular and muscular function. It can be applied in acute situations such as torn muscles or ligaments, accelerating recovery and thus lowering time off sports/work, as well as in more chronic situations, such as tendinitis of the Achilles tendon/quadriceps, epicondylitis and even early stages of osteoporosis. 
Platelet-rich plasma is a product derived from the blood of the patient (autologous) which is prepared and centrifuged to obtain a high concentration of platelets (3 to 5 times more) in a limited volume of plasma. 
The platelets contain growth factors and bioactive proteins that regulate specific cells, modulating its growth and activity, allowing the recovery of the tissues. This treatment allows for the concentration of a large quantity of growth factors near the lesion. The preparation is then administered to the patient in the doctor’s office or operating theatre, with or without a sonogram.

SOME USES OF PRP:
1. Chronic tendinitis (elbow, knee, hip, ankle, and others);
2. Partial tears of tendons (Achilles tendon, rotulian tendon, quadriceps, etc.);
3. Muscule injuries;
4. To assist in the treatment of delays in consolidation of fractures (known as pseudoarthrosis);
5. Alternative intra-articular treatment in early arthritis;
6. In reconstructive surgeries of tendons and ligaments;
7. As an ancillary to treatment of cartilage injuries;
8. Plantar fasciitis/calcaneal spurs.