PRP for Migraines

Migraines are a common problem for far too many people today. Characterized by severe pain, light sensitivity, visual disturbances, and nausea, they can be debilitating for the patient. Yet they often go undiagnosed and untreated for years. The challenge for the physician becomes accurately diagnosing migraines and finding effective treatment options with minimal side effects.

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What Causes Migraines?

Migraines are complex phenomena. While migraines aren’t fully understood, it’s believed that the following factors play a key role in their development:

• Genetic predisposition
• Environmental factors
• Imbalances in neurotransmitters like serotonin, which help regulate pain¹
• Interactions between the brainstem and the trigeminal nerve²

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Migraine Treatment Options

Standard treatment options primarily involve medication usage to treat both acute onsets, as well as medications to prevent future migraines from occurring. The following prescription and over-the-counter medications are considered first-line treatments for migraines:

• Analgesics including NSAIDs, acetaminophen, and opioids
• Triptans
• Ergotamines³

However, use of these medications must be carefully monitored and are contraindicated in many patients.

NSAIDs are known to have serious side effects with long-term use, including stroke, stomach ulcers, heart attack, and kidney damage. Opioids carry very serious risks of addiction. Ergotamines can have dangerous side effects including birth defects and heart problems and are toxic in high doses. Triptans can cause dizziness, drowsiness, and nausea, which are unwelcome side effects if one already has a migraine.⁴ In addition, overuse of these medications can lower their effectiveness to adequately relieve pain and result in rebound headaches.⁵

Because of the potentially serious side effects of these medications, finding alternative treatment options for migraine sufferers has become an urgent need.

Platelet-rich plasma is one such option that holds promise for the safe and effective treatment of migraines.⁶

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Platelet-Rich Plasma to Treat Migraines

Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, has gained traction recently as a potential therapy for migraine sufferers. Rather than artificially suppressing the pain, PRP uses the body’s own natural healing process to regenerate damaged tissue.

But how does it work? PRP stimulates the body’s innate healing cascade. When we experience an injury, our body responds by delivering a rush of platelet cells. When these platelets are activated, they release several types of growth factors, proteins, and cytokines that play a fundamental role in cell regeneration and tissue healing.

But PRP takes the natural healing response one step further by separating platelets from other blood components and concentrating them. This specially prepared platelet-rich plasma contains 5 to 10 times the concentration of platelets found in whole blood. The concentrated PRP is then delivered into affected areas of the head and neck via injection, stimulating and significantly strengthening the body’s healing response.⁷

Since PRP is an autologous therapy, using the patient’s own blood product, there is no risk of cross reactivity, disease transmission, or immune reaction.

PRP’s effectiveness for migraines will depend upon the medical cause. Studies have shown that individuals with myofascial TMD (temporomandibular disorder) are more likely to experience migraines.⁸ The masseter is a temporomandibular joint muscle and is the main muscle used in chewing. So injecting masseter muscles with PRP in patients with TMD may prove to be a useful and effective addition to migraine protocols.

Indeed, studies have shown that PRP can reduce myofascial pain associated with masseter muscles in patients with TMD.⁹ Another small study found that PRP markedly reduced pain in TMD sufferers, as compared to hydrocortisone injections with local anesthetic.¹⁰

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THE PRP PROCESS

To create a platelet-rich plasma preparation, the following steps are performed:

1. A small sample of blood is drawn from the patient and injected into the Dr. PRP blood tube.
2. The platelets are then separated from the other blood components and their concentration is increased using the Dr. PRP centrifuge and by removing some of the plasma.
3. The resulting platelet-rich plasma is then applied onto and around the injured site of the patient.
4. The concentrated growth factors contained in the plasma trigger a mild inflammatory response which effectively jump starts the body’s own natural healing response.

The entire process takes approximately one hour, including preparation and recovery time. For a complete demonstration of each step of the process, view our instructional video.

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DR. PRP

The Dr. PRP is an FDA-cleared medical device, holding the esteemed 510K clearance, meticulously designed to prepare patients' blood for PRP therapy quickly and efficiently.

Our patented design creates high-concentration and high-quality platelet-rich plasma that can be used by your physician to stimulate the healing process. This may result in tissue regeneration at the injured site, effectively accelerating normal healing processes.

REACH OUT TO LEARN MORE

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BENEFITS OF DR. PRP

SAFETY

• Completely closed, sterile system.
• Outside air is blocked with a double safety cap.
• Since the processing is completed within the closed system, there is no risk of the PRP becoming contaminated.

EASY TO USE

• Each kit comes pre-packaged.
• The clear chambers ensure that you can see all the components of the blood sample.
• The buffy coat layer is easily seen in the neck of the device, allowing you to precisely separate the components into the type of PRP you wish to produce.
• You can even eliminate red blood cells from your final PRP product.

QUICK AND CONVENIENT

• The closed system allows for more treatments in less time.
• Customize your final PRP composition for use in different situations.
• The PRP can and should be administered as soon as you prepare it with our kit – no advanced preparation is needed.

HIGH CONCENTRATION

• One kit holds 20 cc of fluid (3 cc of anticoagulant + 17 cc of whole blood) and produces 4 cc of highly concentrated PRP or 10 cc of a lower concentration.
• The platelet recovery percentage of Dr. PRP is higher than the minimal recovery percentage of other similar products from our competitors.

CONSISTENT RESULTS

• Platelets require red and white blood cells to survive long-term. Unlike gel separators that capture the platelets within the gel, our kit allows you to accurately create consistently efficient PRP at the concentrations you desire.

QUALITY

• Our kit can recover over 90% of platelets from a blood sample to produce the highest quality PRP.

FDA 510K CLEARED

• The kit is now proudly holding the FDA 510K clearance.

PATENTED DESIGN

• According to the ISO 13485, our kit is made with a thorough gamma-ray sterilization system.
• Made only with biocompatibility-certification completed raw materials.

TRAINING & SUPPORT

• One-on-one, in-service training is provided via GoToTraining, FaceTime, or Zoom.
• User Manual with photos and descriptions detail how to use your new product, as well as information on PRP and test results.
• Enroll in our Platelet-Rich Plasma CME Certification course where you can learn cosmetic applications of PRP, including the PRP Facial and PRP Facelift.

MARKETING SYSTEM

• Order marketing materials and educational brochures for your patients. These brochures explain various applications of PRP, such as sports medicine and hair regeneration.
• Add your contact information and location to our Directory of PRP Providers.

To view and order Dr. PRP kits and centrifuges, visit our online store. For questions and to discuss our products in more detail, contact us today at 844-377-7787 (DR- PRP-US).