Professional and amateur athletes can be sidelined from the field/court by injuries. Conventionally, athletes were left with either sitting out for weeks, and even months, or undergoing surgeries and taking months off for healing. Neither of the situations is desirable for a sportsperson, as he/she always wants to be a part of the team and play tournaments and perform well. Thanks to the advancement in medical science and treatment prp have emerged as a revolutionary healing method.
What is PRP all about?
It is a form of regenerative medicine, where a small quantity of a patient’s blood is extracted. The blood through lap procedures is isolated and concentrated into healing or medicinal platelet-rich plasma. A sports injury medical practitioner or orthopedic surgeon injects the concentrated plasma into the specific location surrounding the injury. To make sure that the injected plasma reaches the targeted area, the medical expert utilized an ultrasound or fluoroscopy device to project the targeted area.
Growth factors and natural healing mechanism
Apart from platelets, PRP also consists of growth factor components. These components play a key role in the healing procedures of the body’s soft tissues and natural bone. Certain sports injuries can heal gradually over days, weeks, and months. When an athlete suffers from serious injuries, the body fails to promote adequate self-healing mechanisms. Whether one suffers from minor or severe sports injuries, PRP acts as a natural healing procedure and speeds the body’s natural repair.
Treating Tennis Elbow
Using PRP injections for treating Tennis Elbow has acquired immense popularity because of the outstanding outcome for patients. With repetitive stress and overuse of forearm tendons, it becomes inflamed. Any sport that involves aggressive and repetitive arm movements, like tennis, badminton, cricket, hockey, baseball, basketball, etc., can cause Tennis Elbow. Several studies demonstrate for Tennis Elbow treatment prp shows high levels of efficacy and success rates.
Treating Rotator Cuff injuries
Injuring the rotator cuff seems pretty common for sports injuries. It is the soft tissues, and muscle system that enable the functioning of the shoulder. When repeated overhead arm motion is generated, several problems can emerge. Baseball is one such sport where players need to repeat the overhead arm movement. Apart from baseball, a player playing any sport can injure his/her rotator cuff from falling or injuring. Rotator cuff tears usually demand surgeries, but when there is a partial tear, or inflammation, PRP injections can heal the injuries faster.
Treating Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar Fasciitis is one of the most common injuries experienced by sportsmen and women, especially professional runners. It is a chronic condition that can affect the heel, and the patient can suffer from pain and discomfort. If Plantar Fasciitis is not addressed in time, it can lead to bone spurs, which can be treated only with surgical intervention. Thus, it’s highly suggested that patient must be injected with PRP so that the situation doesn’t aggravate.
Conclusion
Several types of sports injuries can benefit from PRP treatment. It is less time-consuming as it is non-invasive, and the healing time is also less. The advancement in sports treatment prp seems to be revolutionizing the whole treatment procedure.