I-Hsiu Liou, MD
Dept of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Assistant professor
What is PRP?
PRP(platelet-rich plasma) is a powerful prolotherapy by using your own growth factor to inject over injury area to enhance healing and regeneration. PRP is superior to traditional rehabilitation and medicine.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), an autologous concentrate containing growth factors and anabolic cytokines, has been applied in a diversity of musculoskeletal conditions to enhance healing. Various cytokines have been identified to contribute to cell proliferation, chemotaxis, cell differentiation and angiogenesis.
Evidenced-based medicine:
For injury or degeneration of muscle, tendon, ligment and joint.
Evidence-base medicine indicate:
- Degenerative joint disease:PRP can repair joint cartilage, better than hyaluronic acid in pain control and qaulity of life.
- Rotator cuff injury of shoulder:PRP can ahcieve pain relief and improve shoulder function with shortterm, midterm and longterm effect.
- Epicondylitis of elbow (tennis elbow): Compared to anaglecis, PRP can ahcieve better pain relief and improve elbow function.
- Meniscus tear: PRP can reduce pain. PRP combined with arthroscopic repair can reduce pain and improve knee function.
PRP types: Leukocyte-poor PRP is better!
Accoding to leukocytes contained in PRP, two types are: Leukocyte-rich PRP and Leukocyte-poor PRP. Leukocyte-rich PRP may release increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines to activate the NF-kB signaling pathway, to counter the beneficial effects of growth factors on osteoarthritic cartilage, and finally, result in a inferior efficacy of LR-PRP to LP-PRP for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Most studies favor Leukocyte-poor PRP.
With certificate, with good quality!
PRP should be cerficated by govement.All PRP in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department is well certificated by Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA).PRP made from laboratory centrifuge without TFDA certificate can not waranty the quality of PRP.
Accessible & available treatment in Rehab clinic
PRP treatment protocol, includes phlebectomy and centrifuge , is quite convinient in clinic and take around 20 minutes.
(Fig 1: PRP(platelet-rich plasma) Made by: Dr.I-Hsiu LIOU劉亦修 )
Sono guided needle injection: more precise!
If the injury was over shoudler,elbow,wrist, hip or ankle,sono guided needle injection could provide more precise injection of PRP! Physiatrists are good at sono guided needle injection in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department.
(Fig 2: PRP injection Made by: Dr.I-Hsiu LIOU劉亦修 )