Ultrasound Guided Injections and PRP

What You Need To Know

How ultrasound guidance and PRP therapy work together to support healing.

Ultrasound Guided Injections and PRP

Diagnostic ultrasound is used today to provide doctors with the ability to see where an injection is going, ensuring the medication is delivered directly to the exact spot of necessity. By delivering the medication directly where it is needed, we avoid damaging surrounding tissue or placing medication in areas where it will be less effective.

Diagnostic ultrasound use was first reported in 1958 as a reliable method to evaluate musculoskeletal structures. Since then, its use has become increasingly popular in the medical world. Today, physicians use ultrasound technology to clearly visualize soft tissue structures for pending treatment. The tissue most commonly viewed includes tendons, ligaments, and muscle, with arteries and nerves also viewed at times.

One treatment often delivered under ultrasound guidance is platelet-rich plasma, or PRP. Platelets are a blood component often associated with clotting, but they also play an important role in recovery, secreting proteins that stimulate cell growth. PRP is plasma with more than the usual concentration of platelets, and the idea is that more platelets will induce more healing.

If you have an injury or chronic pain that has not responded to conservative care, an evaluation can help determine whether an ultrasound guided injection is right for you.

Conditions Treated and What To Expect

PRP has received a lot of press lately, especially for helping professional athletes recover from injuries without undergoing surgery and get back into the game. But PRP is not just for professionals. All types of people can benefit as well.

To create PRP, clinicians first draw a little blood, then use a centrifuge to separate the platelets from other blood components. This concentrated PRP is then applied to the specific area that needs healing. PRP can have five to ten times as many platelets as normal plasma, so that is potentially a lot of healing power.

PRP is often injected into the injury itself to reduce inflammation and promote healing. Though effective, PRP is not instantaneous, and it often takes several weeks for patients to feel the benefits. PRP can also be used to help patients heal following surgery, treating the injured area during the procedure. It may help with injured muscles and ligaments, chronic tendon injuries such as tennis elbow, and arthritis in the knees.

While PRP is not a magic bullet, it is rapidly becoming a useful tool to help patients overcome musculoskeletal injuries. Our doctors frequently use diagnostic ultrasound in delivering treatment to ensure the safest, most effective, and comfortable care possible. Schedule a consultation to find out if this approach fits your recovery plan.