Besides its use in skin treatment, you may be surprised to learn that PRP was originally used within sports medicine to treat high-profile athletes including Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods when suffering from sports injuries.
PRP for sports injuries is designed to target soft tissue injuries, including around tendons and ligaments where the healing process is known to stall, causing prolonged injuries. Research has demonstrated very positive results, with PRP actively encouraging the body to produce collagen and retrigger the body’s healing process in these slower areas.
PRP treatments can be used to treat injuries such as:
- Tennis elbow
- Golfer’s elbow
- Early osteoarthritis
- Chronic muscle injuries
- Chronic ligament injuries (including on the knees, ankles, elbows, and wrists
- Chondral injuries
How to Use PRP For Sports Injuries
During a PRP treatment, you will begin by extracting blood from the patient’s arm, like a regular blood test. This blood is collected in a specific medical device & then placed in a dedicated centrifuge which spins, to separate the blood components.
Naturally, human blood contains several key constituents that play a pivotal role in supporting overall body functionality. These include:
Plasma – a yellowish substance known to carry salts, water, and other nutrients around the body.
Platelets – to support healthy blood coagulation, which allows wounds to seal following bleeding.
Growth Factors – these are vital proteins to support health and help regenerate damaged tissue. The majority are contained within the platelets.
Once separated from the whole blood, the platelet Rich plasma fraction is injected directly into the designated treatment area. In sports medicine, the use of ultrasound may be required for accuracy. Depending on the severity and location of the injury, patients will need to have more than one treatment for the best results. These treatments will be spaced over several weeks to months to allow for adequate tissue healing.
Once symptoms begin to improve, PRP treatments can stop. However, it may be advisable to couple treatment with a rehabilitation programme to further support the tissue in regaining its strength and flexibility.
As PRP is produced in special approved and regulated medical devices from one’s own blood, it is not considered to carry a high complication risk and often requires no downtime following treatment.
PRP is considered safe for all sexes, adult ages, and ethnicities, however, it should be discussed with a medical professional as there are some medical conditions in which PRP may not be advised, including:
- Pregnancy
- HIV/ Aids
- Cancers of the blood and skin
- Cardiovascular disease that requires the use of blood thinners.
For more information on PRP, contact RegenLab.
