PRP & CRP Treatment
Beyond PRP: The Next Generation
In the past few years many physicians have started to use Platelet Rich Plasma, PRP. Greco Medical Group can honestly say they have been using Orthobiologics like Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) for the past 15 years, whether it was intraoperatively in orthopedic surgery or cardiothoracic surgery. Then 6 years ago, as part of a biotech company, OroGen BioSciences, they developed the purified form of PRP that no one else is using. It is called Cytokine Rich Plasma, CRP.
CRP contains the optimal levels of growth factors and cytokines without the pro-inflamatory and pain causing blood cells.
CRP has advantages in non-surgical orthopedic injection treatments for tendons, ligament, muscle, and arthritic joints because it does contain optimal levels of growth factors and cytokines, like “Interleukin IL-1ra antagonist”, which has demonstrated in studies and in clinical use. It is a powerful pain reducer especially in arthritic joint disease. We have successfully treated shoulders, knees, neck/backs, hands, wrist, elbows, feet and ankles with CRP.
In simpler terms, “it is a purer grade of your own regenerative material (growth factors in plasma proteins) because the cells that are not needed and may cause more inflammation have been filtered out. Therefore, CRP has the advantages of PRP, but we feel “it is more beneficial in tendon, ligament and bone repair as well as more advantageous in cosmetic collagen enhancement, fat-transfer and hair regeneration”.
With CRP we are continuing to advance the science of regenerative medicine not only in orthopedic applications, but also in hair restoration and non-surgicalapplications for bio-enhanced Cosmetics skin rejuvenation and collagen induction.
Our latest breakthrough is the Advanced Protocol. It combines a fast release and slow release of growth factors and cytokines to get an immediate and sustained response needed in certain conditions.
We have published, lectured, and taught the benefits of Orthobiologics to physicians both nationally and internationally. Greco Medical Group has the experience and technology to help you heal yourself safely and naturally.
All Platelet Rich Plasma is not created equal
Regenerative Medicine has been catching on in the last few years with the increased use of Platelet Rich Plasma, PRP. With PRP we can use messengers (growth factors and cytokines that are present on the platelets of our own blood) that tell our own stem cells and regenerative cells to go to work. These messengers initiate healing and treat pain in arthritis, ligament and tendon injuries, chronic neck and back conditions, to name a few. But there are so many forms of PRP and not all are good and effective.
So how can patients know they are getting the best form of PRP? Ask the physician:
Do you add any medications to the PRP?
Some doctors may add cortisone, human growth hormone, and hyaluronic acid (Euflexxa, Hyalgan, Orthovisc, Supartz, Synvisc, rooster combs)
How much blood will be taken?
If less than 60 cc or ml are taken the PRP isn’t concentrated enough to optimize efficacy
Proof That PRP Heals
There’s new evidence that not only does platelet rich plasma, PRP, improve pain and function in chronic tendon injuries but actually HEALS them. In the May issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine a study was done on 28 athletes with one of the most common overuse injury knee problem, chronic patellar tendonopathy, also known as Jumper’s Knee. It is characterized by pain and swelling below the kneecap.
100% of the athletes improved. By 3 months, 75% returned to their pre-symptom sporting levels and maintained that for 2 years with nonsurgical PRP. Not only did their pain go away, but their tendons returned to normal as shown on follow-up MRI’s. 7 subjects were considered treatment failures yet 6 of them still showed partial healing of their tendons by MRI. The article cites prior surgical success rates at somewhere between 46% and 70%.
To be included in the study the athletes had to have the problem at least 4 months (mean of 18 months and range 4-60 months). They had the worst case scenarios and had to fail all nonsurgical treatments such as rest, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy, peritendon steroid injections, laser therapy, and extra-corporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT). The subjects received 3 platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections under ultrasound guidance and were followed by MRI scan to evaluate healing of the tendon.
With our purified and proprietary for of PRP, Cytokine Rich Plasma (CRP), we at Greco Medical Group can also treat similar tendon/ligament injuries like rotator cuff tears, tennis elbow, IT band syndrome, hip tendonitis and bursitis, and ankle injuries to name a few. CRP works even better for osteoarthritis of the knee to prevent knee replacement surgery. Call us at 941-952-3300 or do a free on-line consult.