A centrifuge is a piece of lab equipment that’s used for the separation of fluids, gas or liquid, based on density. Separation occurs by spinning material at a high speed; the centrifugal force pushes heavier materials to the outside of the vessel. In our office, we use the centrifuge for PRP (protein rich platelets). Many of our patients have experienced relief after receiving a PRP treatment, which uses their own blood in the natural healing process.

So, how does PRP work? 

Step One: Draw a teaspoon to a tablespoon of blood from patient’s arm in a test tube (we use butterfly needles). This is no different than when patients get routine labs done.

Step Two: Spin down the blood in centrifuge to separate the platelets from the red blood cells, which takes about 5 minutes.

Step Three: Pull the PRP, which have the body’s own growth factor, out of the test tube using a syringe.

Step Four: Inject the PRP into the joint using guided ultrasound.

We’ve seen success with PRP in our patients who have arthritis of the knee, especially.

Author Kelsey Kelsey is Bay Area Wellness Center's Marketing Assistant. She comes from the advertising world with 3+ years of experience in research, strategy and media planning. Interested in collaborating with us? Shoot Kelsey an email at marketing1.bawc@gmail.com and she'll get back to you!