By now, the sports world is abuzz about the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to achieve incredible breakthroughs in the treatment of sports injuries. Orthopedic medicine has always been at the forefront of evolving medical developments like PRP.
Like the story of Hines Ward, the wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers and his pre-Superbowl injury back in 2009. That was the story that catapulted PRP into the national spotlight. Hines was famously facing four to six weeks of recovery time, but PRP got him back in the game in two.
But that’s just one story that made headlines.
Over the years, there have been countless others. World-renowned golf champion Tiger Woods has publicly discussed his use of PRP for knee injuries and its role in his recovery. Baseball star Alex Rodriguez used PRP after hip surgery to expedite his recovery. Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant began traveling repeatedly to Germany in 2011 for PRP-derivative treatments. The list goes on and on.
PRP is clearly one of the most widely celebrated therapies to emerge in the arena of regenerative medicine – and it has truly revolutionized how the field of sports medicine now thinks about and approaches sports injuries today.
Contact us online or call (240) 754-7954 to schedule a consultation with one of our specialists at the Center for Sports & Regenerative Orthopedics to see how you can potentially benefit from the revolutionary power of PRP.
PRP is probably the most well-known treatment in the rapidly developing field of regenerative medicine. PRP Therapy injects your own concentrated blood plasma into the area of injury, stimulating the release of growth factors and cytokines that help repair damaged tissue.
Treatments like PRP are designed to stimulate or enhance the body's own natural ability to heal and repair damaged cells, tissues, or organs. The concentrated platelets from your own blood promote tissue repair and reduce inflammation.
With this procedure, blood is taken from your arm and processed in a centrifuge. Your blood platelets, which contain growth factors, are concentrated and the resulting platelet-rich plasma – known as PRP - is then injected into the part of your body experiencing injury or pain.
PRP is actually produced using nothing but your own blood.
American former professional baseball shortstop, third baseman and designated hitter Alex Rodriguez – known as A-Rod – publicly credited PRP Therapy with prolonging his career in sports. Hip injuries can signal that a baseball player’s career is nearing its end, but Rodriguez went on to have several additional years in the game before finally retiring in 2016. Interestingly enough, he used PRP for the first time in 2009. Who knows? Maybe it was Hines’ experience with that Superbowl game that gave him the idea to try it.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is an emerging technology that optimizes soft tissue repair through local delivery of autologous bioactive agents. It has shown it can dramatically influence critical physiological mechanisms - from angiogenesis to extracellular matrix synthesis.
Sounds complex,, but what it means is that athletes get PRP injections containing their platelets from their own blood to help their injuries heal faster so they can get back in the game quicker. Research studies clearly show PRP reduces the time it takes sports injuries or everyday aches and pains, to heal by harnessing the body’s intrinsic healing capabilities.
Given PRP’s biocompatibility and healing properties, it was only a matter of time before PRP injections began being used in athletes to treat tendon and muscle injuries.
Also, PRP can be applied to a myriad of injuries. That versatility makes it invaluable in a sports medicine doctor’s repertoire.
Kobe Bryant famously credited his PRP-derivative treatments he received in Germany for giving him “a new knee.” While injections of PRP will not always regrow the tendon or cartilage, it may cause it to stop hurting and help alter the chronic pain environment. . The cells injected can alter the environment of the tissues surrounding the area of tissue injury or loss and are able to reduce inflammation and pain. Can help slow the progression of arthritis or tissue breakdown, and in some instances it can also help repair.
That, in itself, is truly revolutionary.
Sports injuries were typically treated with conservative methods like rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE), together with physical therapy and medication. For more severe sports injuries, they tried corticosteroids and eventually surgery was considered. Sometimes it worked, more often it didn’t.
Many sports injuries simply couldn’t be successfully treated.
Even seemingly minor injuries could sideline an athlete’s career before PRP came along. Not just careers, but lives were sidelined by opioid addictions that resulted from long-term use of pain medication.
Part of what makes PRP Therapy special is that it is used to treat a variety of diseases or injuries that were otherwise difficult or impossible to treat in the past. When PRP came on the scene, it opened up brand new vistas on what was possible in the face of previously hopeless career-ending sports injuries.
Even with his access to the world’s best doctors and treatment options, Tiger Woods opted for PRP Therapy in the course of his ACL repair and Achilles tendon injury. He’s been vocal in his endorsement of this emerging therapy. PRP may not yet be as much a household name as Tiger Woods, but he’s done everything he can to make sure his fans know about it.
PRP has been shown to be effective in improving function, facilitating healing, decreasing pain, and reducing inflammation – and you don’t have to be an athlete or even physically fit to benefit from the healing potential of PRP. Healing and relief from pain or poor function are as much your right as any sports figure. As we’ve said before, the promise of regenerative medicine belongs to us all.
One of our favorite aspects of treating injuries with PRP is that the injection is a simple outpatient procedure that can fit seamlessly into your busy schedule. You don’t have to endure a long period of painful recovery – no downtime at all. It’s non-invasive and doesn’t involve surgery or anesthesia.
PRP couldn’t be any more natural because it’s your own blood. There are generally no side effects, and your body doesn’t view PRP as a foreign invader, so it doesn’t react to it. Not only does it not cause inflammation, it dramatically reduces it.
It also decreases your need for pain medication, which is really good news for a number of reasons. So many patients currently rely on Ibuprofen, steroids, or opioids, all of which can be physically damaging to your body and potentially habit forming.
PRP has been gaining popularity not just for its outcomes in treating injuries, but for use in everything from osteoarthritis and hair loss to aesthetic skin rejuvenation. Ever hear of the vampire facial? That’s PRP Therapy too. Did we mention its versatility?
For more questions about PRP’s ability to tackle Super Bowl injuries – as well as your backyard injuries - speak with our experts today to see if this is the treatment option that could revolutionize your personal healing journey. Call (240) 754-7954.
Let our team at the Center for Sports & Regenerative Orthopedics help you achieve your goals and enhance your health and wellness goals with the healing potential of PRP.
Call (240) 754-7954 or Contact us online to arrange a consultation with our Regenerative Medicine specialists at our offices in Alexandria, Virginia, or Waldorf, Maryland.
