Athletes are bouncing back faster than before from injuries on the court and on the field. Thanks to a cutting-edge treatment known as platelet-rich plasma (PRP), big names in sports are able to reclaim optimum performance. Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, Alex Rodriguez aka A-Rod, have sought the treatment and seen improvements.
But PRP isn’t just for high-performance athletes; it also works for everyday active people.
What is PRP?
Platelet-rich plasma prolotherapy is an injection therapy that uses your own concentrated blood full of growth factors and healing cells. The doctor injects your blood into the injury site to promote healing. The healing is possible because platelet-rich plasma contains over 10 highly concentrated growth factors, which act as healing messenger proteins.
When injected back into your tissues, these growth factors go to work, restoring your injured joints, ligaments, muscles, or tendons. They also speed up cartilage, bone, and soft-tissue regeneration.
A study published by Science Daily reveals the injections not only promote healing, but also improve pain and function. This may explain why Bryant, Woods, and A-Rod were able to perform at their best — yet again — even after sustaining injuries. The Black Mamba, for one, may have retired due to knee problems, but not before scoring 60 points in his farewell game with the Lakers.
How does the Process Go?
Doctors use PRP to encourage fast recovery from surgical and cosmetic procedures. Like every other procedure, you’ll go through an evaluation before the treatment. Your doctor will also prescribe certain things, like a three-hour fast before blood withdrawal, and not taking aspirins a day or so prior to the treatment.
After blood is drawn, it goes through processing via centrifuge. This is to separate the platelet-rich plasma from the red and white blood cells. Your doctor will recommend you stay off labor-intensive activities, such as running or working out, for a few days.
ActiveMed’s Dr. Jon Kalman, who also practices at our new Encinitas, CA office, uses platelet-rich plasma as part of his treatments. He focuses on arthritis, athletic injuries, chronic pain, and degenerative illnesses.
For more information on the cutting-edge treatment, call us today.
