Why suffer pain? Why live with pain? EMPIRE’S Pain Management Program does not only seek to restore function and mobility, but is intent on giving you freedom from pain and a triumphant return to the life and activities you most enjoy. It brings to the Philippines our focused Wellness & Recovery Program which will be tailored specially for you, so as to enable you to maximize the benefits of your treatment whilst ensuring that your lifestyle is in tandem with your new freedom. A life without pain, for good.

What is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy?

Platelet-Rich Plasma or PRP Therapy is a procedure that utilizes the growth and healing factors found in the patient’s own blood to treat sports injuries or relieve pain caused by osteoarthritis.

The procedure, which in itself takes approximately thirty minutes to complete, begins with the collection of 30 milliliters of the patient’s blood. The blood sample is then placed in a Harvest SmartPReP APC+™ centrifuge system, which separates the platelet rich plasma from the other components in the blood.

The choice of centrifuge and kit is a key factor in the success of the treatment. It is for this very reason; EMPIRE uses the Harvest SmartPReP APC+™ centrifuge system and kit. The normal concentration of platelets circulating in your blood is 200,000 per micro liter. Other centrifuge systems can increase this count by about two – four times that. However, the Harvest SmartPReP APC+™ centrifuge system, being at the very forefront of the industry, increases the platelet count by up to ten times. This means that the Platelet Rich Plasma produced by the SmartPReP can contain more than 2 million platelets per micro liter. Apart from the platelets, the SmartPReP also concentrates 7 fundamental protein factors (also called cytokines).

They are as follows:

• Platelet-derived growth factors – PDGFaa, PDGFab, PDGFbb
• Transforming growth factors – TGFb1, TGFb2
• Vascular endothelial growth factors – VEGF
• Epithelial growth factors – EGF

Once the distillation process is complete, the concentrates platelets are injected into the site of the injury or pain, often with the aid of ultrasound guidance for added accuracy. The platelets, which are a natural reservoir for growth factors, are essential in the repairing of injured tissues. The platelets secrete these growth factors into the affected area, which stimulates tissue recovery by increasing collagen production, enhancing tendon stem cell proliferation, and tenocyte-related gene and protein expression. In addition, the growth factors also stimulate blood flow and cause cartilage to become more firm and resilient. PRP activates tenocytes to proliferate quickly and produce collagen to repair injured tendons, ligaments, cartilage and muscles.

Why Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy?

PRP Therapy has proved to be an ideal solution for many chronic conditions, thereby obviating the need for invasive surgery. Chronic pain is caused by incompletely healed conditions characterized by excessive scar tissue within the tendon/ligament. This may lead to impaired joint function or leave the tendon/ligaments prone to re-injury or complete disruption. This inferior healing process is often due to poor blood supply to the site of injury. Most tendons have a poor blood supply and are often the victims of microscopic tears or chronic scarring.

PRP is exceptionally effective in treating such injuries as it initiates a response that makes the chronic condition appear as if it were a new injury, thus provoking a new/renewed healing response. This new healing response is then augmented by the super-concentrated healing factors, unlocked by Harvest SmartPReP APC+™ centrifuge process, within the PRP.

Unlike other forms of treatment, PRP therapy is autologous which means “from self”. As there are no foreign agents or substance used or mixed with the PRP, there is zero risk of allergy or rejection. It is for this reason PRP therapy is the choice treatment for many of the world’s most prominent sports personalities.

According to the Scientific American, the procedure gained widespread recognition in the professional sport community in 2008. Athletes such as Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and Rafael Nadal have credited PRP Therapy as the chief reason for the dominant return to their sport after injury.

Other non-sport celebrities that have publicly endorsed the benefits of PRP Therapy include the late Pope John Paul II, super –agent Ari Emanuel and UFC President Dana White.

The rapid awareness of the benefits of PRP Therapy is fast making it the treatment of choice of individuals who either have sports injuries or suffer from the chronic pain caused by the “wear and tear” of the body’s ligaments and/or tendons.

Why the EMPIRE Pain Management Program?

EMPIRE’S Pain Management Program brings to the Philippines a holistic approach in alleviating pain. Our cutting edge Platelet-Rich Plasma therapy is the first of our multi-faceted program. We strive to empower all our patients with the knowledge and tools to maximize the benefits of the PRP Therapy. In Manila itself, we have treated many individuals suffering from knee and shoulder pains; two chief areas that are prone to injury.

The success of EMPIRE’S Pain Management Program hinges on its core foundation: No two patients are the same. We come from different genders, ethnic backgrounds, dietary habits and even different lifestyles. As such, EMPIRE’S Pain Management Program is individualized and tailored according to the specific needs and requests of the patient. Our on-hand nutritionist and physiotherapists are able to advise patients on how best to maximize the benefits of the PRP treatment by adhering to certain dietary and exercise protocols.

The program has been successful in treating the following conditions:

Shoulder-related pain

• Rotator Cuff—Partial Tears
• Biceps Tendinosis
• Chronic Glen humeral Ligament Sprains
• Acromio-Clavicular Joint Dysfunction and Pain
• Levator Scapulae Tendinosis

Elbow-related pain

• Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury
• Distal Biceps Tendon Partial Tear

Wrist/hand related pain

• Chronic Thumb Sprain
• Joint Arthritis
• Arthritic Joints

Hip/Pelvis/SI joint related pain

• Piriformis Syndrome
• Greater Trochanteric Bursitis
• Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction
• Hamstring Strain
• Ischia Tuberosity Bursitis
• Hip Joint Arthritis
• Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head
• Syphilis Pubis Pain

Knee/Joint related pain

• Patellar Tendonitis/Tendinosis
• Osgood-Schlatter’s Disease
• Quadriceps Strain or Partial Tear
• Degenerative Arthritis
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Chondromalacia Patella
• Enthesopathy

Lower Leg related pain

• Calf Pain

Ankle/Foot related pain

• Chronic Ligament Strains
• Chronic Achilles Tendinosis
• Chronic Partial Tendon Tear
• Plantar Fasciitis

The treatment regime varies according to the location as well as the extent of the injury. Usually Dr Callanta administers two injections, each spaced two weeks apart. Extensive studies have shown that the PRP cycle reaches its apex after six weeks. In short, the alleviation of pain is immediate whilst the injury site will take up to six weeks to heal.