Platelet-rich plasma

Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP for short, is a special type of liquid that is made from your own blood. It has lots of tiny little things inside called platelets. These platelets are special because they help your body heal itself.

Imagine you're playing outside and you fall and scrape your knee. Your body knows to send special helpers, called platelets, to that scrape to make it feel better. The platelets stick together like glue and form a scab over the scrape. This protects the scraped skin underneath while your body works to fix it up.

Doctors can take some of your blood and separate out the platelets to make more of them. Then they can put that special liquid, or PRP, back into your body in a place where you need some extra help healing, like if you had a really bad cut or a sports injury.

The platelets in PRP can help your body heal faster and reduce pain. It's like giving your body some extra helpers to work with!