Prolotherapy & Platelet Rich Plasma In Tulsa
This article was written by Dr Chad Edwards, Medical Director & CEO of Tulsa’s premiere holistic medical clinic – Revolution Health & Wellness Clinic.
We are the only clinic in Tulsa to perform Prolotherapy and Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP).
I have been performing prolotherapy since 2009 and have had amazing results. It seems that the vast majority of people get significant results from this procedure. We have had hundreds of satisfied patients because of the success of this procedure in restoring them to normal function without pain.
However, although rare, we have not been able to help some people with prolotherapy. This is where Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) comes in. I started doing prolotherapy in the military because I could do it with the standard equipment that I had available to me. When I started working at Warren Clinic, I was able to continue doing prolotherapy for the same reason.
I continued doing only prolotherapy because the vast majority of people get better with it and it is cheaper than prolotherapy. At Revolution Health & Wellness Clinic our goal is to help as many people as possible and we don’t like to tell patients that there is nothing else we can do for them.
Fortunately, we have been able to add PRP to our repertoire. We have had great results with this procedure as well.
I discussed how prolotherapy works previously. PRP works by a similar mechanism but platelets contain growth factors that are potent stimulators of growth of collagen and repairing tissues.
The risks and benefits are the same as prolotherapy.
Now for the down side… Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy is more expensive than prolotherapy and is not generally covered by insurance. You can read more about Prolotherapy & PRP costs and prices as well as insurance information.
Notable athletes to have received PRP Therapy include Tiger Woods, Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod), Hines Ward, and Kobe Bryant to name just a few.
We generally recommend getting the injections at 6 week intervals whereas we generally perform prolotherapy every 3-4 weeks.
The pain after PRP does seem to be a little more robust than after Prolotherapy so we often prescribe pain medications for use after your procedure. You will still want to avoid anti-inflammatory medications as stated on the Prolotherapy & PRP Procedure Instructions page.
This procedure is effective for the same conditions as Prolotherapy:
- back pain
- neck pain
- knee pain, partially torn or damaged ligaments
- Osteoarthritis
- Headaches (depending on the source)
- Elbow Pain (lateral & medial epicondylitis)
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Thumb Arthritis
- Ankle pain, ankle sprains, ankle laxity
- Chronic muscle pains (these are usually due to ligament/tendon damage)
- Sciatica
- Rib pain
- Shoulder pain, rotator cuff injuries
- Many more
