Nerves damaged by injury or disease can cause tingling, numbness, pain, and dysfunction. Conditions like diabetes, infections, vitamin deficiencies, and autoimmune disorders can result in neuropathy that progresses to a point of unbearable pain or where you lose balance or the ability to walk.
Medications and some lifestyle changes can help ease symptoms, but these therapies don’t reverse the condition. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy offers a viable way to treat neuropathy and even help damaged nerves heal. This revolutionary treatment method harnesses the power of your own body to heal injured tissue and restore health.
At Advantage Spinal Dynamics & Innovative Medicine, we offer PRP therapy as part of a comprehensive treatment plan for neuropathic pain. Read on to learn more about how this treatment can help you prevent progression and ease symptoms of neuropathy.
Neuropathy can describe damage to a single peripheral nerve, known as mononeuropathy, or to multiple peripheral nerves, called polyneuropathy. Examples of mononeuropathy include carpal tunnel syndrome and sciatica. You may experience mononeuropathy from sitting in one place for a long time, such as in a wheelchair.
Polyneuropathy is the type of neuropathy associated with diabetes or vitamin B12 deficiencies. Sufferers feel a loss of sensation, pain, and tingling in their feet, lower legs, and sometimes arms and hands. Neuropathy can range from mild in sensation to disabling pain.
Platelet-rich plasma is a revolutionary therapy that uses your own blood to heal injured tissue, including nerves. To obtain PRP, we draw a small sample of your blood and then spin it in a centrifuge to separate out the platelets and plasma from other blood components.
The concentrated platelets are then injected into key areas so they can get to work healing and restoring nerve function. Platelets are a component of the blood known for their healing proteins and growth factors that help healthy cells proliferate.
To help reduce the pain of neuropathy and improve nerve function, PRP is injected into areas such as your joints and the ends of nerves. We customize application of PRP according to your neuropathy symptoms and the type of pain you’re experiencing.
Research shows that when PRP is introduced to injured nerves, it encourages repair and regeneration of nerve tissue. The result is a reduction in neuropathic pain and an increase in sensation. In studies, some patients have reported notable reduction of pain within the first two weeks of treatment.
PRP may be used for various forms of neuropathy, too. It can be helpful in resolving carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, or other mononeuropathies. Plus, the therapy may help in cases of diabetic neuropathy, as PRP can set into play and entire cascade of events that lead to nerve repair.
At Advantage Spinal Dynamics & Innovative Medicine, we help people in the Meridian, Idaho, area feel their very best. Using an integrative medicine approach, we seek to relieve patients’ neuropathy and limit its progression so you can maintain a high level of function and sense of well-being. For a comprehensive evaluation of your neuropathy and a customized treatment plan, call the office or schedule an appointment using this website.
