Platelet rich Plasma

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Serenaatkinson
Serenaatkinson Member Posts: 3
in Chat to our Helpline Team

How can I be referred for these injections. I have had my hip relaxed 3 months ago . I have Osteoarthritis in most joints. I have other health issues and feel I could really benefit from this treatment.

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  • Brynmor
    Brynmor Member Posts: 1,755
    edited 22. Feb 2022, 11:02
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    Hello @Serenaatkinson welcome back to the Online Community - a much different look to when you were last here 😀

    How did the total hip replacement operation go? I'm sorry to hear you now have osteoarthritis in your other joints.

    Referral treatment for the NHS is done through your GP or rheumatologist consultant and they will be your first line of enquiry and source of information. A private consultation may also provide a route to this treatment but may well prove very expensive - also, prices seem to be priced in dollars.

    The treatment itself, I understand, is still undergoing research and there are only tentative findings that it may be helpful in patients with osteoarthritis.

    Do join in across the Community and call in to say how you are getting on. You will be most welcome.

  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,426
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    Hi @Serenaatkinson

    Nice to meet you.

    I hadn't really heard much about this treatment nor about hip 'relaxing' or was that a typo for hip replacement?

    I imagine that you need to contact your GP in the first instance to start the ball rolling. If you get it you really must let us know how well it works for you.

    Take care

  • helpline_team
    helpline_team Posts: 3,494
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    Hi@Serenaatkinson

    Thank you for posting on the helpline forum to ask about accessing platelet rich plasma injections as a treatment for osteoarthritis (OA).

    Thanks to @Brynmor and @frogmorton for their supportive comments and suggestions.

    As you will be aware, platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP) involves taking a sample of the patients own blood and injecting part of the sample into a damaged or diseased area. Although this treatment has been offered through NHS services in the past, it is not always available in every area due to the limited effectiveness of them. 

    According to NHS information “These procedures are only carried out in a few hospitals in the UK and aren't routinely provided on the NHS. You may be able to pay for them privately, but they can be very expensive”.

    I’ve added a link to the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on PRP injections for knee osteoarthritis below.  It’s hard to fully know if/where this might be available on the NHS, so if your GP is unsure then it could be worth asking for a referral to a specialist in this area. 

    You may find the information here helpful:

    https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/IPG637/chapter/1-Recommendations
    https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/hospitals/referrals-for-specialist-care/

    You are very welcome to call us on our freephone helpline: 0800 5200 520 so you can talk though your treatment options through with one of our trained advisors. There may be existing treatments that you’re not aware of that we can suggest that you explore before going down this route.

    I wish you well and I hope this is helpful.

    Best wishes

    Mags

    Helpline team

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