Have you heard about PRP injections? These days Platelet-Rich Plasma injections (PRP) are increasingly popular and are being utilized in many different medical fields. For example, the prestigious Johns Hopkins Musculoskeletal Center, “…offers platelet-rich plasma injections to help alleviate pain, improve mobility and decrease inflammation.”[1] Because PRP is being used to treat more and more conditions, you should not be surprised if at some point your doctor recommends that you try them. And if so, consider combining your PRP Therapy with Laser Therapy, because scientific studies are concluding that Laser Therapy pairs extremely well with PRP and the two therapies working together achieve better results.
Expanding Use of PRP
Although once administered mainly for treating musculoskeletal problems resulting from sports injuries, today “Other medical fields that also use PRP are cardiac surgery, pediatric surgery, gynecology, urology, plastic surgery, and ophthalmology. More recently, the interest in the application of PRP in dermatology; i.e., in tissue regeneration, wound healing, scar revision, skin rejuvenating effects, and alopecia, has increased.”[2] Some of the conditions that PRP injections are commonly being used to treat are hair loss in both males and females, osteoarthritis pain and stiffness (especially of the knee), chronic tendon injuries like tennis elbow, shoulder problems, and discogenic low back pain.
Pairing PRP with Laser Therapy
Laser Therapy has been proven to be an effective and successful treatment modality in almost all of the same medical fields and for almost all of the same conditions listed for PRP. And Laser Therapy provides most of the same health benefits as PRP Therapy. So these two modalities working together make a winning combination:
- Lasers Relieve Pain
Like PRP, Laser Therapy relieves pain. Medical science has known for quite some time that Laser Therapy, “is effective for disorders requiring tissue regeneration, pain relief and reduction of inflammation, treating nociceptive, neuropathic and musculoskeletal pain.”[3] This is because Lasers have been proven to have highly beneficial effects on nerve cells, blocking pain signals transmitted to the brain, and decreasing nerve sensitivity.
- Lasers Reduce Inflammation
Like PRP, Laser Therapy reduces inflammation. Since the 1960’s, science has discovered that lasers can successfully penetrate skin, bone, cartilage, ligaments, muscles, nerves, and tendons, and bring relief for both acute and chronic inflammation.
- Lasers Regenerate Tissue
Like PRP, lasers repair and regenerate tissues in all areas of the body (except for the eyes). Laser Therapy significantly helps induce and accelerate cell growth and the repair of damaged tissues for faster healing and the return of functionality.
- Lasers Are Safe and Effective
Like PRP, Laser Therapy is safe and effective. Laser Therapy “…holds the potential to induce a biostimulatory effect with no side effects.”[4] As for PRP, the Johns Hopkins Medicine website states, “Because the treatments use a patient’s own tissues, PRP injections are safe and can be administered alone or used in conjunction with other procedures.”[5] As both therapies are considered safe in and of themselves, using Laser Therapy in conjunction with PRP injections should present no risks or safety concerns.
Studies Verify Laser Therapy Enhances PRP
Peer-reviewed scientific studies on http://www.pubmed.gov have found that the synergy produced by using PRP Therapy and Laser Therapy together is more effective than either therapy used alone. Here are a few of these studies:
- A 2019 study using intra-articular Low Level Laser Therapy (IAL) treatment simultaneously with repeat PRP injection to osteoarthrosis patients who had not received benefit from PRP alone concluded that “IAL in conjunction with PRP is very safe. It has significant efficacy in reducing arthrosis symptoms for up to two years in some patients who had failed prior PRP injection for the knee, hip, gleno-humeral and first carpo-metacarpal joints….”[6] “PRP with IAL allowed avoidance of surgery and good pain control at least two years post-treatment in nearly half of patients who had failed PRP treatment alone.”[7]
- A 2020 randomized blinded retrospective study of 13 males and 10 females with androgenic alopecia presented the expert opinion that, “The combined use of biotechnologies as the association of PRP with micro-needling and low-level laser therapy may improve the results in terms of hair count and hair density compared with those obtained by alone PRP.”[8]
- A 2017 animal study with the goal of assessing the associated effects of Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT*) and PRP on the treatment of the soleus muscle injured by strain in rats found that, “the association of LLLT with PRP presented better results in the regeneration of muscle tissue than the use of the individual therapies.”[9]
[*Please note that “LLLT” stands for “Low Level Laser Therapy.” It is a common acronym used to describe the utilization of lasers for clinical therapy. It is not unique to any specific class of laser.]
- Laser Therapy is also known as “photobiomodulation,” or “PBM.” A 2021 animal study evaluating the effects of Laser Therapy and PRP on acute arthritis in Wistar rats concluded that, “PBM associated with PRP has anti-inflammatory effects and promotes joint preservation.…these therapies showed biostimulant effects on arthritis inflammation, which leads us to the possible improvement of pain and the quality of life with potential clinical application.”[10]
The Bottom Line
If you or a loved one are planning to receive PRP injections, seriously consider adding Laser Therapy to your PRP Therapy for better results. And if you are a medical doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist, acupuncturist, or podiatrist, add Laser Therapy to your treatment menu. Lasers can be used to treat acute and chronic pain, reduce inflammation, increase metabolic activity, and improve nerve function and vascular activity, as well as accelerate tissue repair and cell growth for wound healing — providing a better quality of life for all your patients. The purchase of a single laser can make a big difference in your clinic! For more information on therapeutic lasers, contact Rob Berman at Berman Partners at 860-707-4220.
[1] https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/plateletrich-plasma-prp-treatment.
[2] Alves R, Grimalt R. A Review of Platelet-Rich Plasma: History, Biology, Mechanism of Action, and Classification. Skin Appendage Disord. 2018 Jan;4(1):18-24. doi: 10.1159/000477353. Epub 2017 Jul 6. PMID: 29457008; PMCID: PMC5806188, pp.18-19.
[3] Loeb LM, Amorim RP, Mazzacoratti MDGN, Scorza FA, Peres MFP. Botulinum toxin A (BT-A) versus low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in chronic migraine treatment: a comparison. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2018 Oct;76(10):663-667. doi: 10.1590/0004-282X20180109. PMID: 30427505, p. 664.
[4] Anju M, Chacko L, Chettupalli Y, Maiya AG, Saleena Ummer V. Effect of Low Level Laser Therapy on serum vitamin D and magnesium levels in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy – A pilot study. Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2019 Mar-Apr;13(2):1087-1091. doi: 10.1016/j.dsx.2019.01.022. Epub 2019 Jan 18. PMID: 31336449, p.1.
[5] https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/plateletrich-plasma-prp-treatment.
[6] Prodromos CC, Finkle S, Dawes A, Dizon A. Intra-Articular Laser Treatment Plus Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Significantly Reduces Pain in Many Patients Who Had Failed Prior PRP Treatment. Medicines (Basel). 2019 Jul 16;6(3):75. doi: 10.3390/medicines6030075. PMID: 31315168; PMCID: PMC6789467, p. 6.
[7] Ibid., Abstract.
[8] Gentile P, Dionisi L, Pizzicannella J, de Angelis B, de Fazio D, Garcovich S. A randomized blinded retrospective study: the combined use of micro-needling technique, low-level laser therapy and autologous non-activated platelet-rich plasma improves hair re-growth in patients with androgenic alopecia. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2020 Sep;20(9):1099-1109. doi: 10.1080/14712598.2020.1797676. Epub 2020 Jul 27. PMID: 32678725, Abstract.
[9] Garcia TA, Camargo RCT, Koike TE, Ozaki GAT, Castoldi RC, Camargo Filho JCS. Histological analysis of the association of low level laser therapy and platelet-rich plasma in regeneration of muscle injury in rats. Braz J Phys Ther. 2017 Nov-Dec;21(6):425-433. doi: 10.1016/j.bjpt.2017.06.007. Epub 2017 Jul 4. PMID: 28733091; PMCID: PMC5693427, p. 13.
[10] Gonçalves AB, Bovo JL, Gomes BS, Pigoso AA, Felonato M, Esquisatto MAM, Filho GJL, do Bomfim FRC. Photobiomodulation (λ=808nm) and Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) for the Treatment of Acute Rheumatoid Arthritis in Wistar Rats. J Lasers Med Sci. 2021 Oct 18;12:e60. doi: 10.34172/jlms.2021.60. PMID: 35155145; PMCID: PMC8837836, pps. 6-7.
