While PRP therapy has now been around for a while, it has recently made a surge amongst professional athletes looking for treating injuries. Big names who have opted for this platelet-rich plasma therapy include Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, and Alex Rodriguez to name a few.

The reason for this therapy’s immense popularity among this demographic group is because it eases pain and encourages long-lasting healing. The most prominent of its benefits include PRP being:

  • A non-surgical, non-pharmaceutical method for treating sports injuries
  • Uses the individual’s on platelets minimizing risk of a reaction/ allergies
  • Eliminates narcotics for pain management
  • Promotes soft tissue healing

Benefits for sports athletes over other therapies

Since ligaments, tendons, and cartilage have restricted blood flow, the ability of the body to repair them also becomes limited. This is where a treatment like PRP comes in to compensate for this limitation.

Its quick healing process makes this treatment a suitable option for world-class athletes where individuals need to recover fast and move on with their careers. Given the hazardous and long-lasting complications of surgical procedures, less invasive options like PRP have become popular as safer alternatives.

When paired with physical therapy, PRP therapy can provide relief from a number of sports-related injuries like

  • Golf elbow
  • Tennis elbow
  • Frozen shoulder
  • Jumper’s knee
  • Rotator cuff tear
  • Damaged wrist ligament
  • And much more

The therapy may be used alone or in combination with conventional pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical based treatments.

But it is perhaps this treatment’s less invasive approach which sets it apart from other methods of soft tissue repair.

Case for Scientific Backing

The therapy has been in use for almost a decade but has only received increased attention in recent years. While there is no medical consensus on it yet, the procedure is still largely relegated to athletes and others with chronic tendinopathy.

According to Dr. Mayo Friedlis of the Capitol Spine and Pain Centers in Washington DC, the procedure is a natural process, using the body to heal the body without any negative potential side effects. Dr. Friedlis has been administering PRP for more than seven years now.

However, with the therapy still breaking ground, not a lot of insurance companies cover the procedure.

The Verdict

In this scenario, treatment with PRP therapies could hold promise. The treatment does appear to be effective in the treatment of chronic tendon injuries but demands more scientific evidence to determine whether it is effective for other conditions as well.

However, despite its questionable success levels, the risks associated with the procedure are minimal. There may be some pain at the site of the injection, but the incidence of other problems like tissue damage, infections and nerve injury remains negligible.

Regenerative Medicine Maryland

All Star Pain Management Maryland is one of the few regenerative medicine clinics in the state that can successfully treat sports-related injuries with PRP therapy. The doctors here have specialized training to safely target points of injury and administer the therapy.