PRP for Sports Injury
Platelet Rich Plasma at MirAge Clinic
The freedom of movement is a gift often taken for granted—until the sudden grip of pain from a sports injury, like tennis elbow, turns the ordinary into the unmanageable. For many, reaching for painkillers to quell the ache of a strained back, an inflamed shoulder, or the persistent discomfort of tennis elbow becomes a ritual in their daily lives.
Traditional medical approaches frequently fall short in fully repairing soft tissue injuries or in providing lasting relief from pain. It’s precisely for this reason that treatments like Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy are becoming more prevalent. PRP targets the very foundation of the issue, aiming to stimulate the body’s innate repair mechanisms and offering hope for a more permanent solution to chronic pain and injury.
What is PRP?
PRP, or Platelet Rich Plasma, is blood plasma enriched with platelets. It is derived from the patient’s own blood and reintroduced to areas where regenerative processes have slowed and need assistance. The PRP serum contains isolated natural growth factors that stimulate healing processes in joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. In aesthetic treatments, it is used for its skin-rejuvenating effects, while in dental implantation and rhinoplasty, it aids the bone formation processes. PRP serum has regenerative effects in the early stages, while in later stages, it serves as an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever.
What Constitutes the PRP Serum?
Various types of growth factors: proteins that stimulate cell regeneration
Cytokines, in other words proteins that act as messengers between the cells and influence their actions
Structural glycoproteins, basically water-soluble proteins that are attached to carbohydrates or sugars
How does PRP Work to Heal Soft Tissue?
When an injury occurs the platelets in our blood form a clot to protect the injured area from getting infected. Blood clotting creates a protective cover for our bodies, allowing for the healing process to begin. Platelets contain fibrin, alongside other various proteins that have the ability to transform into any kind of tissue they are healing. The healing process is accelerated when injecting the injured patient with PRP, as platelets combined with the serum’s growth factors create a healing scaffold. This stops blood loss, induces an instant tissue repair and protects the injury from possible infections.
The Procedure
The process to create a PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) concentrate begins by drawing 10 ml of blood from the patient and transferring it into two 6 ml sterile tubes. These tubes are then inserted into a centrifuge, where they are spun at a high velocity for a set duration, effectively separating the blood into three distinct layers: red blood cells at the bottom, acellular plasma at the top, and the PRP, rich in platelets and growth factors, sandwiched in the middle. This PRP layer, approximately 2 mm thick, is densely packed with platelets enmeshed within fibrin networks. Following the centrifugation, our medical professionals deftly extract this middle layer of PRP. Before injection, the targeted area on the patient—be it the elbow, knee, shoulders, fingers, or spine—is numbed with a topical anesthetic cream to ensure comfort. The prepared PRP is then injected into the numbed area to initiate the body’s natural repair processes and to help alleviate pain.
What is PRF?
Medical researchers can create various types of PRP concentrates depending on the preparation process, one of the most preferred being the PRF serum. As the development of PRF does not involve the utilizing of anti-clotting agents, the concentrate resembles a thick gel-like material, which your doctor must inject immediately into the treated area after isolated from the blood. Additionally, due to the PRF concentrate containing white blood cells it protects your body from infections by strengthening your immune system. Thus, PRF is by every standard the ideal choice for healing injuries, wounds and bruises after surgical procedures.
PRP Therapy for Musculoskeletal Conditions
There are countless treatments for damaged or worn-out ligaments and joints, ranging from anti-inflammatory medication to hyaluronic-acid injections. However, there is a reason why more and more doctors today recommend PRP and PRF therapy for patients with knee, back, or hip pain: they are effective, non-surgical and without the risk of serious side-effects. PRP and PRF concentrates are isolated natural growth factors, which stimulate and speed up the healing of joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments. The high concentration of these various growth factors help to reduce or even cease the pain altogether and decrease inflammation. They also induce the body’s natural healing process and protect it from infections through strengthening its immune system.
Is This the Same as a Cortisone Injection?
No, they are quite different. Cortisone injections are a synthetic corticosteroid, injected into the joints or other types of soft tissue in order to reduce pain and inflammation. While cortisone injections in certain amounts can be beneficial, they are a treatment of the symptoms, rather than the disease. They do not address the underlying cause and thus have to be repeated often. More importantly, there are many documented risks of having “too much cortisone”, as it may lead to the suppression of the patient’s immune system. On the other hand, PRP involves using only natural growth factors –gained from the patient’s own blood— that promote cell regeneration and the reduction of pain and inflammation. As a result of the purely natural construction of PRP, it does not carry the same side effects as cortisone. PRP is aimed at being a curative treatment, whereas cortisone is not.
What Musculoskeletal Conditions Can Be Treated with PRP?
PRP is Utilized for Patients Who Have:
- Knee Bursitis
- Hip Bursitis
- Tennis Elbow
- Golfers Elbow
- Rotator Cuff Injuries
- Achilles tendonitis
- Neck Pain
- Shoulder Pain
- Knee Pain
Is PRP Painful?
While patients’ pain tolerance varies, in our experience the discomfort from PRP injections can range from mild to moderate. A needle is used to draw blood from a vein in the arm initially and then small needles are used to perform the actual injection(s). However, no patient has yet reported any serious pain involved.
How Many Injections Will I Need?
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There is no ‘one size fits all’ answer to this question. Typically, 1 to 3 injections are necessary. The number of injections mostly depends on the severity and location of chronic problem. Some patients can successfully be treated with one injection, while others require multiple treatments over a period of time to eliminate or reduce pain.
How Long is the Procedure?
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Depending on the number of areas treated, most procedures are completed in around 30 – 45 minutes.
How do I Know if the PRP Treatment has Been Successful?
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The answer to this is simple. PRP does not ‘mask’ your pain and other symptoms, such as pain medications. If PRP has helped you, you will notice a difference in your overall pain level and mobility. Many patients will see an increase in overall pain levels initially, but as the healing process occurs, symptoms are expected to resolve gradually over the course of 4 to 6 weeks on average. Much depends on the patient’s overall level of health, age, diet, and
activity levels. For some patients, repeated treatments may be necessary.
How Long Does the Effect from PRP Last?
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The answer to this question varies depending on the patient. Factors playing a role are the underlying disease process and whether there has been a recurrent injury to the affected area. It is impossible to predict if and when further treatments will be needed for a specific condition. In some cases, patients do come back months or years later for repeat PRP injections. In other cases the effects of the treatment last a lifetime.
What is the Success Rate of PRP?
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The success rate of PRP therapy varies considerably. Much depends of the condition being treated, health status of the patient, age, and treatment protocol. Success is also highly subjective and dependent on the patient’s perception. PRP success in the treatment of tennis elbow has been reported in up to 80-90% in some studies, Achilles tendonitis 70-80% and golfer’s elbow 60-70%.
What Can / Can’t I Do After Having PRP?
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We recommend that patients drink plenty of fluids following the treatment, as well as to limit intense activity such as working-out for a while. Our doctor will advise you about the specific time period. Moreover, you should avoid the use of anti-inflammatory medication (e.g. Advil, Motrin, Aleve, etc.) for at least 4 weeks, as such medications inhibit the body’s ability to heal. It is also important that you complete follow-up visits so that our doctor can evaluate your progress. Skipping appointments and waiting too long may compromise the effect of future treatments. Specific instructions will be provided at the time of your treatment. A structured rehabilitation program will often be included with PRP injections.
What Are the Possible Side Effects?
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As with any type of injection, there is a small risk of infection, injury to blood vessels and risk of bleeding. There is a small risk of injury to a tendon or ligament when injected. However, these risks are negligible, especially when compared to the side effects of other, non-natural treatments. While not truly considered a side effect, many patients will experience increased pain or discomfort for a temporary period following the treatment. If you have been ill or running fever, it is advisable to discuss this with the physician before considering this type of treatment.
How Does Stem Cell Therapy Differ from PRP?
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Stem cell therapy and PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) therapy are both treatments used to help the body heal itself, but they work in different ways and are used for different kinds of injuries.
PRP therapy involves using a part of your own blood that is rich in proteins and growth factors. When this is injected into the injured area, it helps to speed up the healing process of tissues like muscles or tendons. It’s like giving your body’s natural healing process a boost.
Stem cell therapy, on the other hand, uses cells that have the ability to become many different types of cells in the body. When these cells are introduced to an injured area, they can help regenerate damaged tissues, such as joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. This makes stem cell therapy a powerful option for treating more serious injuries or conditions that PRP might not be able to address on its own, such as severe arthritis or spinal disc problems.
While PRP therapy is often used for less severe injuries that the body could potentially heal on its own (with a little help), stem cell therapy is aimed at more serious issues. However, combining both treatments can be very effective. The platelets in PRP can help activate stem cells, making them a great team for healing tissues. Depending on the injury’s severity, doctors might suggest using one or both treatments to help the body heal more effectively.
