You've come to the right place, whether an elite athlete looking to get back to training as soon as possible or simply desperate for relief from a nagging injury.
We at Bay Breeze Foot & Ankle Specialists know how frustrating waiting for your body to heal independently can be. And while your body is more than capable, giving it a little boost from science never hurts.
Dr. Maurice Aiken is specially trained to prepare and administer platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy and has used it to help many of our patients recover faster and find lasting relief from pain.
We generally classify pain and injuries as either acute or chronic.
Acute injuries, like sprained ankles and fractures, cause symptoms that come on suddenly. Your pain usually resolves once your injury has healed, so you shouldn’t experience pain for longer than a few weeks or months.
On the other hand, chronic injuries result from minor issues that either don’t properly heal or gradually worsen over time. The chronic injuries we see most often include plantar fasciitis, arthritis, and tendonitis.
When you have a chronic injury, your pain tends to last much longer (around six months or more). Pain signals involved with chronic pain stay active in your nervous system for weeks, months, and sometimes years.
Suppose you live with chronic pain for too long. In that case, you can develop tense muscles, limited mobility, and long-term nerve damage, as well as other issues such as fatigue, appetite changes, and even mental health issues.
Regardless of what you need to heal from, PRP has the power to restore and repair. Here’s a closer look.
PRP is a revolutionary therapy that taps into powerful growth and healing factors in your blood.
You might think your blood is just a sticky red liquid, but if you look under a microscope, it’s much more complicated. Your blood contains red and white cells and platelets floating in a liquid plasma base.
When you get injured, platelets (with the help of plasma) show up on the scene to assist in blood clotting, cell regeneration, and damage repair.
We get a concentrated PRP solution by taking a sample of your blood and placing it in a centrifuge machine to separate the individual components. We inject the prepared PRP solution into your body's painful, injured areas to help heal.
This is why we recommend PRP for both acute and chronic injuries.
If you have an acute injury, PRP ramps up the healing process that's already in motion. It can also reduce inflammation, reduce your symptoms, and improve mobility.
In the case of chronic pain, PRP can reboot your dormant healing process, relieving pain from the inside out.
PRP has become the gold standard in rapid healing, but it’s not the only thing you can do. In addition to PRP, we offer other forms of regenerative medicine, including stem cell therapy, Amnio Fluid Flow™ injections, and Erchonia® cold laser therapy.
We may also recommend physical therapy, custom orthotics, splints, and casts. You can also play a crucial role in the healing process by:
It’s also helpful if you modify your activities and use assistive devices for a time. If you don’t know where to start, we can walk you through more ways you can heal from your aches and pains.
If you’re ready to fast-track your healing and recovery, call our friendly staff at 727-285-9684 or use our online booking tool to schedule an appointment at our Dunedin, Florida, office today.
