You’re at the gym and you are finishing your last rep of legs at an enviable weight ... you are making eyes with the hottie across the gym. Then you stand and your achy knees and sore low back cause you to move as if you were 30 years older -- not very vivacious and sexy.

Or, even worse: The pain of your shoulder, knee, hip or ankle causes you to minimize or even STOP your workouts altogether. Dang those injuries preventing us from looking better naked!

So what is a self-respecting naked-hopeful to do in a situation like this?

Currently, medical treatment for joint pain and musculoskeletal injuries are limited to pain and anti-inflammatory medications, ice and heat, physical and chiropractic therapy, and possibly surgery. However, these treatments may cause undesirable side effects and may not be fully effective or even harmful. And many individuals are not candidates or do not desire surgery.

This is where Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy comes to the rescue!

PRP is the latest all-natural, safe and effective treatment for many suffers of joint pain and injury. It works like magic and has been used extensively by oral surgeons and plastic surgeons to enhance healing after doing bone grafts and face-lifts. Experience is showing that PRP is phenomenally effective for healing injury to ligaments, tendons and joints.

How it works

If you remember back to that first injury -- such as straining your knee -- swelling of the joint, heat and pain quickly occurs. These unpleasant symptoms are the body’s healing response: the influx of new cells, platelets and growth factors to the injury cause swelling, while pain is a great reminder to rest your injured joint.

Typically we respond to an injury by applying ice, taking pain or anti-inflammatory medications (Motrin, Naprosyn, etc.) and getting back into our routines as quickly as possible, thereby not allowing the joint to rest and heal. The use of anti-inflammatory medication actually inhibits our natural inflammatory healing process, which can set the joint up for chronic pain and decreased healing of the injured tissue.

Using PRP re-initiates the healing process within the injured joint through a simple in office treatment. Your blood is drawn and spun down to capture the platelets, growth factors and new cells. Once the joint area is numbed, the PRP is injected into the joint and/or around the injured tendons and ligaments, thus beginning the healing cascade.

Avoiding anti-inflammatory medication, rest and rehabilitation will fully allow the PRP to strengthen and stabilize the joint. This is a trick used to boost and speed healing that injured professional athletes have been using for years to get back into their game more quickly.

Corticosteroids vs. PRP?

Corticosteroid injections have been a common treatment for joint and ligament pain; however, steroids may cause thinning of the tissues resulting in tearing and increased future pain. Research studies have shown that compared to corticosteroids, PRP increases tissue strength and joint stability while decreasing pain over time.

Who can use PRP therapy?

The therapy is for people suffering from joint or back pain or individuals with osteoarthritis, plantar fasciitis, rotator cuff injuries and tennis elbow, other ligament and tendon injuries and tears, sprains or strains to virtually any joint. PRP may be used in acute and chronic injuries.

In order to have PRP therapy, you must be able to avoid blood thinners and anti-inflammatory medications for up to three weeks. Also, resting of the treated area is required for a few days to a week after treatment; therefore individuals unable to refrain from heavy lifting and high physical activity may not be ideal candidates for PRP therapy. Depending on the injury and area treated one to six treatments may be indicated.

Stay tuned for our next article on how PRP is being used for face rejuvenation!

For many more ways to keep your joints pain free and keep your body looking great naked, contact Dr. Farnesi and Dr. O’Connell at Medical Age Management, (619) 795-6700 or check us out online at or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.