Clinical Review about the Role of Platelet Rich Plasma for the Treatment of Traumatic and Degenerative Musculoskeletal Disorders

Abstract

The use of orthobiologics compounds is rapidly expanding in the field of orthopedics and sports medicine. Platelet rich plasma (PRP) represents the second generation of ortobiologics that has numerous advantages as an autologous blood derivate for the treatment of traumatic and degenerative musculoskeletal diseases. Platelet is naturally involved in haemostasis and tissue healing processes due to their content in growth factor and other bioactive molecules. Basic science and preclinical evidence supports the use of platelet derived growth factors as well as of PRP for enhancing reparatory processes in musculoskeletal tissues. Clinical results about the use of PRP for bone, tendon, cartilage or muscle healing are encouraging and continue to accumulate in the recent years. Proteomic profiling and biomarker based PRP characterization have the potential of advancing the field of PRP application. High quality studies are awaited in order to enable clear cut therapeutic indications.