Stem Cell Therapy Vs. PRP Therapy

BySam Walton

Stem cell therapy is a promising, but often misunderstood field in regenerative medicine. This is why many people confuse stem cell therapy with another regenerative medicine treatment – the platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment.

Though these two treatment methods share some similarities, they are not the same.

Read on to know more about the differences between stem cell therapy and PRP.

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy

Platelet-rich plasma is derived from the patients’ own blood but has a higher concentration of platelets than blood. PRP is extremely beneficial for repairing tissue damage because platelets are natural sources of growth factors, proteins and cytokines that helps in bone and soft tissue healing. As a result, PRP stimulates repair and rejuvenation of cells and tissues, reducing inflammation and providing pain relief.

PRP procedure is carried out in 4 steps –

1. Some of the patient’s own blood will be drawn.

2. The blood is spun in a centrifuge, to separate different components.

3. Concentrated PRP is created.

4. PRP is injected directly into the injured tissue.

PRP has shown to be an effective treatment for acute conditions, like sports injuries. Alone, it is not enough to treat chronic conditions and degeneration. For chronic pain, PRP should be used in combination with stem cell therapy.

Stem Cell Therapy

Stem cell therapy is used to treat a wide variety of chronic conditions, such as –

* muscle injuries

* osteoarthritis

* soft tissue damage

* back pain

Stem cells are the body’s “blank cells” that have the ability to transform into different types of cells. This is how they aid in regeneration or repair of damaged cells throughout the body.

During a stem cell therapy procedure –

  • 1. Stem cells are extracted from the patient’s own adipose or fat tissue through liposuction
  • 2. These cells are injected into the injured tissue

The process is minimally invasive and can help to treat a number of conditions, ranging from back and neck pain to diabetes.

Stem cell therapy and PRP can both aid regeneration of damaged tissue. However, PRP is not cell therapy, and should be used to treat acute, low grade injuries. But stem cells and PRP can naturally work together to repair and regenerate damaged tissue.

Both PRP and stem cell therapy can be practical alternatives to surgical treatment. Compared to surgeries on the knee, shoulder, or back, which can be painful with long recovery periods, patients undergoing stem cell therapy can return to work within a day or two. And the biggest benefit is the body heals naturally from within!

If you are looking for adipose stem cell therapy or platelet rich plasma therapy for treatments of conditions such as COPD or MS, call the leading Chicago stem cell treatment center, The Regenerative Stem Cell Institute at 855-340-7836 today!