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Biological Therapies - PRP

The Advanced Biological Therapy Unit (UTBA) at the MiKS  Hospital is the service where biological treatments are carried out, especially using platelet-rich plasma (PRP). This biomedical technique harnesses the body’s own components to activate the repair of damaged tissues and promote their regeneration. In this context, the patient’s own blood is used as the basis of the treatment, since PRP is obtained from an autologous sample for subsequent therapeutic application.

Procedures at the UTBA are performed on an outpatient basis within the hospital setting, allowing all stages of the process to be managed in a single location: blood collection, PRP preparation, and administration. This ensures strict compliance with asepsis protocols, safety standards, continuous medical follow-up, and full traceability, while adapting each treatment to the individual needs of the patient.

In certain cases, ultrasound-guided infiltrations are used, in coordination between the traumatology and radiology departments. This technique enables more precise application of PRP to the injured area, which may improve outcomes in complex conditions.

In this way, through biological therapies and minimally invasive image-guided procedures, it is possible to treat injuries in joints, bones, tendons, muscles, and other tissues.

Preserve Before Replacing

The Advanced Biological Therapy Unit operates under a translational medicine model in which daily clinical practice and scientific research advance hand in hand. For more than 25 years, its work has contributed to driving a paradigm shift in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders worldwide: whenever clinically appropriate, preserving tissues and function rather than removing, replacing, or substituting anatomical structures. The goal is for every advance in knowledge to translate directly into real benefits for patients. This combination of science, clinical experience, and continuous follow-up makes it possible to continuously improve treatments and deliver regenerative medicine that is increasingly precise, safe, and effective, tailoring therapies according to each patient, their condition, clinical protocols, and the dosage or therapeutic regimen used.

At UTBA, we use a variety of treatments tailored to each condition and target tissue, including:

• Intra-articular treatments.
• Intraosseous treatments.
• Intrameniscal treatments.
• Intratendinous treatments.
  Intraligamentous treatments.
• Intraneural treatments.
• Treatments provided at the Pain and Spine Unit.

• Which pathologies should be treated using PRP?

   PRGF®-Endoret® is a therapeutic tool used in acute injuries to soft parts (muscles, tendons and ligaments), in bone tissues and in chronic degenerative joint diseases such as arthrosis. The Arthroscopic Surgery Unit medical team establishes the specific indications for each case on an individual basis.

• Is the PRP technique related to the use of stem cells?

  No. These are two different methods of regenerative medicine using biological therapies.

• What are the side effects of treatment involving PRP?

  An absolute contraindication is the active infection of the area treated and a relative contraindication is the immunosuppression due to the risk of infection.

• Is there an age limit for the treatment?

  No. The treatment may be administered to patients of all ages.

• Can it be administered to children?

  Yes, it may be administered to children yet it is not commonly recommended due to their greater capacity for recovery in comparison with adults. It is most commonly recommended for skin disorders and osteochondritis.

• Can patients who have previously suffered or are currently suffering from cancer of any aetiology, either currently being treated for this or not, be treated with PRGF®-Endoret®?

  In the event that the area being treated is different to the area of the tumour, yes they can unless there is a high risk of infection due to immunosuppression.

• Is treatment involving PRP painful?

  This will depend on the area to be treated, joint injections may cause some pain but this is bearable and the procedure requires no anaesthetic. This is also the case for injuries to the skin and to muscles. Tendon injuries should be treated with the patient sedated and bone injuries as a general rule also require the patient to be sedated.

• In the event of patients currently receiving anti-coagulant treatment, is it necessary to temporarily suspend this treatment?

  In theory it is not necessary to suspend it except for in very specific cases. However, both the doctor and the healthcare staff should be informed.

• Can patients with thrombocytopenia be treated with PRP?

  Yes, unless the platelet numbers are very low. It is not recommended for levels below 60,000.

• Can it be combined with other treatments?

  Not in the same area and simultaneously, no; especially not with cortico-steroids.

• What risks are involved in the treatment?

  The main risk is of infection which means that the application should be performed under strict aseptic conditions.

• Are there any side effects?

  In theory, the potential side effects are related to the fact that a quantity of liquid is injected and this could lead to an increase in blood pressure in the joint or tissue being treated which in turn could cause some pain and a sensation of swelling for a varying time period (normally 48 hours).

• Is any preparation required prior to the PRP treatment?

  No special preparation is required and there is no need for any prior medication. However, it is recommended not to eat or drink in the 6 hours prior to the test, in particular not to eat any fats.