Capital clinic’s therapy continues to offer hope for Scots’ painful joints

The Edinburgh Clinic remains the only Scottish clinic offering revolutionary treatment

A revolutionary blood therapy used to help treat common joint and muscle injuries has seen a spike in positive results in Scotland thanks to the pioneering efforts of The Edinburgh Clinic.

Currently unavailable on the NHS, Platelet-Rich-Plasma Therapy (PRP) was introduced by the Clinic last year and has been used by global sports icons like tennis champion Rafael Nadal and NBA star Kobe Bryant.

Now, as the only treatment centre of its kind available in Scotland, the Clinic is widening its offering to include PRP as part of its Joint Solutions service – a unique, one-stop-shop offering fully integrated orthopaedic, sports medicine and injury rehabilitation.

Over 30 PRP treatments have been carried out in 2018 alone at the Clinic – which sees blood taken from the individual injected back into the problem area. The Clinic is now focused on spearhead further development in this area.

Mr Tim White, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at The Edinburgh Clinic, said: “PRP is a biological therapy which essentially concentrates the healing properties of our blood before being injected directly into a problem area within a joint or muscle.

“It sounds strange but there are more than 300 critical growth factors packaged within the platelets in our blood. We are essentially using our own bodies’ healing powers to treat joint and muscle-related conditions, including tennis elbow and Achilles tendinosis. Rehab and recovery also tends to be faster with some patients noticing the positive effects after just one treatment.”

PRP works by taking approx. 15ml of blood from the patient and using a Centrifuge machine to rapidly spin it in order to separate the different blood components and remove the white and red blood cells. No artificial chemicals or drugs are used in the procedure with a high concentration of platelets in plasma then injected back into the patient.

For Mr White, the treatment offers a fast and convenient option for patients, many of whom may have been suffering with the same ‘wear and tear’ issues for years.

“PRP works effectively on repetitive complaints, most commonly experienced in athletes and patients who are very active. It’s still a relatively new treatment but the results we have seen at The Edinburgh Clinic are very exciting and encouraging.”

After initially becoming popular in America for the treatment of sports-related injuries, PRP was introduced to Scotland in 2017 with The Edinburgh Clinic the only place currently offering the procedure. A group of doctors and scientists at the University of Edinburgh, including Mr White, are currently working on how to develop these biological therapies have recently written cutting-edge scientific papers on the subject.

The Edinburgh Clinic’s Joint Solutions service combines a highly-skilled team of senior specialists, including sports physicians and orthopaedic surgeons, with the latest state-of-the-art medical technology, allowing for rapid diagnosis and treatment of a variety of joint, bone and muscle problems, in the welcoming friendly environment of Scotland’s leading day-case hospital.

Alasdair Muir, clinic manager, said: “Our Joint Solutions service really is a fantastic one-stop-shop of treatment. From initial consultation with of our leading clinicians, to treatment and rehab, we can offer a fully integrated service for our patients.

“PRP is a rapidly developing medical technology and one which we are proud to offer as the only clinic in Scotland. With the busy summer season upon us, there is no better time to sort out those recurrent aches and pains which could be easily resolved with this simple and minimally invasive treatment.”