PRP Therapy - How Can It Help With Sports Injuries?

Sports activities can lead to severe injuries, and the treatment administered differs, based on the severity of the injury. Muscle injuries are often healed using platelet-rich plasma. Called PRP in short, this therapy gained an immense popularity almost a decade back.

How does it work?

Blood is composed of cellular elements and plasma. PRP is the blood with concentrated platelets and is rich in bio-reactive proteins. This also contains factors that are vital to accelerating growth. PRP aids in faster tissue regeneration and repair. Bones, tendons, and ligaments are the connective tissues in the body, and they need to heal together, which is what this therapy promotes.

A regenerate therapy for faster healing

This therapy is performed by taking out a small amount of blood from the patient’s body. The platelet concentration is augmented by placing it in a centrifuge, and the growth factors are also promoted. Then this plasma is injected into the affected area. It is injected straight into the damaged area. This therapy suits all sorts of sports injuries, arthritis, inflammation, plantar fasciitis, knee ligament injuries, tennis elbow, patella tendinopathy, and Achilles tendinopathy. Joint pain that is caused by an acute injury, early partial tendon tears, and any chronic degenerative disease, too, can be cured with PRP.

Conditions that can be cured with PRP

When athletes are involved in sports activities, a few joints are constantly used. As a result, the tendons experience microscopic tear, and it takes a lot of time for these tendons to heal because the blood supply is not adequate here. When you get injected with the PRP, the nutrients and growth factors required are supplied and it helps in faster healing. Here are a few injuries that can benefit from PRP. It is often seen that celebrities suffering from the condition use this regenerative therapy.

• Rotator Cuff injuries: Sports injuries can occur commonly in the shoulder joints, where lots of actions can take place. With the arm motion more repetitive in sports such as baseball or basketball, this condition can be seen repetitively. Accidents, too, can result in rotator cuff injuries. When the rotator cuffs suffer from a partial tear of tendons or inflammation, PRP injections can offer the solace. However, if rotator cuffs experience severe damage, then only surgery can be helpful.
• Plantar Fasciitis: When the sports require a lot of footwork, an injury may result. Runners are often found suffering from a sports injury. People who stand on feet for long hours too can face this condition. This condition responds well to PRP injections. However, if not treated for long or left unattended, a surgery becomes the sole option for relief.
• Tennis Elbow: The forearms are often used in sports like tennis. The tendons, due to continuous usage, can tear. The repetitive stress on these tendons can also lead to inflammation. Not only sports people but even cooks, painters, carpenters, and assembly line workers can find this a trouble. PRP injections offer the required growth factors to heal the tendons and help to get back to normal life faster.

With hordes of regenerative therapies available, consult a professional to choose the best for you. Also, your physician should be the right person to decide if it is time for a surgery.