I first began writing on platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy many years ago. Just about the time I was getting my feet wet, there were a number of horror stories showing up in the news, stories about PRP injections injuring people. Nearly a decade later, I can tell you that PRP therapy is safe despite those horror stories.
For starters, the stories got plenty of attention despite the fact that they represented an extremely small fraction of all of the PRP procedures being performed across the country. But it is also worth noting that, in each of the cases, doctors performed PRP procedures that were outside FDA guidelines and established best practices.
The actions of those doctors, and the subsequent negative results, led both the mainstream media and healthcare industry to label PRP and other regenerative medicine procedures as dangerous, ineffective, and pretty much quackery. But in reality, PRP therapy is none of these things.
Little to No Risk of Complications
As long as PRP therapy is administered according to existing FDA guidelines, there is little to no risk of complications. This is mainly due to the autologous nature of the therapy. According to FDA guidelines, doctors must use minimally manipulated autologous material to perform PRP procedures.
Autologous material is biologic material provided by the patient being treated. Simply put, a doctor would draw your blood for a PRP injection. Your body is not going to reject its own blood. As long as the injective material remains minimally manipulated as defined by the FDA, there should be no complications.
The biggest concern with PRP therapy is the potential for infection at the injection site. But as it turns out, all injection therapies carry a similar risk. You are just as likely to experience an infection after a tetanus shot. PRP injections aren’t any more risky from an infection standpoint.
Already FDA Approved
Way back when I first began writing on PRP therapy, one of the main criticisms was that it was never approved by the FDA. It is a misleading criticism. While it is true that no pharmaceutical company had produced a PRP therapy and submitted it to the FDA for formal approval, the FDA had approved the use of minimally manipulated, autologous material for the treatment of soft tissue injuries and diseases.
In other words, the FDA has given its approval to regenerative medicine in a general sense, as long as the biologic material is autologous and minimally manipulated. PRP injections fall under those guidelines, making them FDA approved.
A Treatment for Soft Tissue Injuries
With safety concerns out of the way, the next question is one of what PRP therapy is intended to treat. According to the experts at Lone Star Pain Medicine in Weatherford, TX, most PRP injections are recommended for soft tissue injuries.
For example, athletes experiencing strained ligaments and tendons might elect for PRP injections rather than more traditional treatments. More than one professional baseball pitcher has chosen to try PRP therapy before agreeing to Tommy John surgery.
Some doctors are exploring PRP injections as a treatment for arthritis, alopecia, and other conditions. Success rates a vary, but that is true for any treatment – even traditional treatments that people just assume always work.
Despite the horror stories you might have read, PRP therapy is safe. There are very few risks of either complications or side effects. So if you’ve considered the therapy but are afraid it is unsafe, it’s time to rethink what you’ve learned. There is nothing to be afraid of when PRP therapy is administered by a licensed physician who follows FDA guidelines.
