What Is PRP?
One of the most important parts of the body’s healing and recovery process is the Growth Factors. Upon injury, these trigger the regeneration of tendons, ligaments, and bones in the injured sites.
However, the multi-cyclic nature of the regenerative tissue processes makes them particularly time-consuming. Additionally, the recovered tissues are usually not returned to the pre-injury condition under the natural, untargeted healing process.
Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy or PRP offers a speedy, all-natural and targeted alternative to the natural regenerative process. The doctor draws the patient’s blood and centrifuges it. Next, they isolate its four-times-growth-factor rich platelets. Finally, they target the injured tissues using these platelets. Additionally, the extra white cells in the growth factors assist the healing by reducing the inflammation.
Although clinical results are lacking, PRP is not a new experimental technique. The first research on PRP was in the 1980s. Since then, many studies show positive results. One main advantage of PRP is that there is minimal risk of adverse reactions. The reason for this is the method doctors use. They inject the plasma directly into the site. Moreover, they extract the plasma from the patient’s own blood.
PRP for Shoulder Injury or Partial Rotator Cuff Tear
PRP has shown enough effective and fastidious results for a wide variety of sports injuries. Some of these include tennis elbow, muscle wounds, fractures, damages to the tendons and ligaments, and rotator cuff injuries as well.
Treatment of partial rotator cuff tear is a source of major challenge for orthopedic surgeons globally and research establishes an alternative, less invasive treatment: Ultrasound-guided PRP.
One of the most popular studies supporting the effectiveness of PRP for a shoulder injury or partial rotator cuff tear can be found here. The participants of the study included 17 people dealing with shoulder rotator cuff tears. They experienced significant improvement in their condition after receiving PRP injections. Conclusively, their pain levels declined, while shoulder function and tissue regeneration improved.
Additionally, the patient reported complete satisfaction with the procedures as well. The reasons for the satisfaction include the non-invasive nature of the treatment, the affordable price, and the speed.
The Case of Jameis Winston, the Bucc’s quarterback
Winston had suffered serious shoulder injury back in November 2017 and had chosen PRP in addition to rehab activities for his shoulder. After three weeks of PRP injections, he starting training and practice sessions and there were no setbacks.
Many athletes other than Winston, including the renowned Tiger Woods, Rafael Nadal, and Adrian Clayborn, used PRP therapy to quickly recover from sports injuries.
