One of the
biggest questions in non-surgical orthopedics is whether or not to use
cortisone injections. Corticosteroids, which are the substances in injections
like cortisone, are powerful anti-inflammatories. They are used to reduce
inflammation, rather than relieve pain, but obviously increase a patient’s
level of comfort. Cortisone injections are commonly recommended and
administered to patients suffering from joint pain. Cortisone is often injected
into the area of injury or pain like joints or tendons. Examples of areas
typically injected with cortisone include the bursa, tendon, or joint of a
particular region of the body.
Although
cortisone offers a powerful anti-inflammatory package, it does not repair the
injury or any of the abuse caused by years of use. Cortisone just masks the
pain and can possibly cause further damage because of the false sense of
security it may give to patients. Most recently, some studies have shown that
long-term use of cortisone can actually cause degeneration of tendon tissue or
cartilage.
PRP Therapy works on a completely different platform than
cortisone injections. While cortisone inhibits inflammation, PRP has healing
and regenerative properties. The concentrated platelet injection stimulates
proteins, which encourage cellular growth and tissue regeneration through
certain growth factors released by the platelets.
Requiring
only a small amount of blood from the patient, the doctor is able to deliver a
highly concentrated platelet rich plasma injection into the patient’s injured
tissue, which initiates the healing process. A recent study presented at the
International Meeting on the use of Autologous Growth Factors in Orthopedics
and Sports Medicine found patients receiving cortisone showed an immediate 40%
improvement when using PRP, which demonstrated a 75% improvement after a
12-month period. The study concluded that PRP injections reduced pain just like
cortisone but also increase function and growth significantly.
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