PRP: 3 Reasons Why Platelet-Rich Plasma may be the Secret to Healing Sports-Related Injuries

Created by: Bailey B.

PRP is a type of regenerative medicine that utilizes platelet-rich plasma to promote soft tissue regeneration while reducing pain and inflammation caused by acute or chronic injuries.

What is PRP?

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is the liquid portion of autologous blood remaining after the red blood cells (RBC) have been separated out in a centrifuge. This plasma contains platelets and growth factors that play essential roles in many body processes, including wound healing and soft tissue regeneration.

These growth factors work to:

• Enhance the repair and healing of acute and chronic injuries
• Provide analgesic effects to reduce musculoskeletal (MSK) pain
• Exert anti-inflammatory properties to reduce inflammation

Platelets are responsible for many functions, including:

• Formation of blood clots and scabs to stop bleeding
• Immune System’s first line of defense against foreign pathogens that enter the bloodstream
• Proper wound healing
• Regulating inflammation

When PRP is injected into an injury site, such as joints, tendons, and ligaments, it enhances the healing process by delivering high concentrates of these platelets and growth factors that regenerate tissue cells that restore the tissue structure to its healthy state faster and stronger.

How effective are PRP injections?

It is extremely effective in treating joint, tendon, and ligament damage. These tissues are made up of very dense bundles of strong, thick fibers. Since they are designed to uphold structure they lack a good blood supply because capillaries weaved through the fibers would compromise the integrity of the fiber bundles and the tissues would not be strong enough to perform their intended duty. This results in a much slower healing process, and in some cases, prevents healing from ever occurring completely. This slow process also compromises the strength of the healing fibers, due to the amount of scarred tissue that builds up, making these fibers prone to re-injury.

By injecting platelet-rich plasma into these injury sites, platelets and various growth factors are able to begin repairing the damaged fibers at an immensely faster rate. This increases the potential for a full recovery in less time and decreases the potential for re-injury. Using PRP to treat damaged tissues is also easier on the surrounding muscles and joints since it greatly decreases the downtime required to achieve healing. Less downtime means that there is less muscle atrophy and stiff joints caused by lack of use. There are virtually zero negative side effects since the plasma is natural and bio identical. It is also beneficial in treating Plantar Fasciitis, Carpal Tunnel, and other arthritic joints.

Common Injuries/Conditions Treated with PRP

These injections can be used to reduce pain and inflammation while promoting better healing almost anywhere in the body since it is naturally occurring and safe for soft tissue regeneration.

Some common injuries or conditions that PRP is used to treat include:

1. Osteoarthritis
2. Muscle tears, sprains, or strains
3. Tendon or ligament tears, sprains, or strains
4. Plantar Fasciitis
5. Carpal Tunnel
6. Post-surgery healing
7. Tendonitis 
8. Achielle’s Tendon injuries
9. Tennis Elbow
10. Runner’s knee
11. Cartilage damage
12. Scar reduction

Benefits of PRP 

PRP is safe and effective for regenerating soft tissue structures for many reasons.

1. Low risk of treatment rejection or complications since it is autologous to the patient. Pain management treatments like corticosteroid injections carry various risks and only work to reduce pain for limited periods of time until another injection is required. Over time, receiving recurring injections of corticosteroids can lead to further damage and tissue degradation. PRP on the other hand reduces the pain while promoting permanent healing of the injected tissue. So although multiple treatments may be required to achieve complete healing, it does not cause any further damage like corticosteroids and once the tissue is healed, no more injections will be required.
2. Promotes faster and better quality healing by flooding the damaged tissues with healing platelets, resulting in significantly faster healing and stronger healed structures. These injections supply the damaged tissue with a surplus of growth factors and platelets to utilize in regenerating tissues that are stronger and healthier than what would’ve been produced without them.
3. It is an effective treatment for sports-related injuries like tendons, ligaments, joints, and muscles. These types of injuries can be life-altering for athletes and the utilization of PRP in healing these types of injuries has given these athletes the ability to regain full range of motion and strength, allowing them to return to their sport without limitations.

Platelet-rich Plasma has become one of the most innovative and diverse regenerative medicine treatments currently available for medical applications. It is natural, safe, and effective, as well as completely noninvasive, making it a much easier option compared to surgical procedures. Fill out the form to the right for more information regarding the healing benefits of PRP or click here to set up your free consultation to discuss your potential PRP procedure today!