Is PRP The Secret To Recovering From Sports Injuries Quickly?

Return To Action Quicker With PRP Injections

For athletes, the goal is to spend as much time as possible performing sports. Sometimes though, the very activities people enjoy can also lead to injury. Regardless of activity levels, sometimes individuals can experience injuries that won’t heal properly when solely relying on at-home treatments. Historically, physicians would recommend surgery, but recovery times could take forever. Yet, thanks to modern innovations, more minimally invasive treatments are allowing people to heal and get back to an active lifestyle. Specifically, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections can speed healing and may be paired with traditional operations for faster recovery.

What is PRP?

PRP injections are a minimally invasive option for healing an injury. For most people, the procedure is managed as an outpatient treatment. What makes PRP interesting is that the process uses a person’s own blood to boost healing. While an injection is required to treat the damaged area, few complications are reported beyond discomfort at the needle site. PRP works by using the body’s natural healing process to promote wound healing in the injury. In the past, these injections were used independently as a treatment solution to try before opting for surgery. However, research has shown that when used after surgery, the method works to accelerate recovery.

Creating PRP

As stated previously, PRP is created by taking a sample of blood from a patient. Once collected, the blood is placed in a centrifuge where the materials are separated. Blood has multiple components, with some of the most important parts being the plasma, red blood cells, and platelets. In PRP, the goal is to create a super-concentrated solution that consists of just plasma and platelets. The plasma is liquid, but the platelets are a special kind of blood cell that’s responsible for healing injuries in the body by triggering clotting and also stimulating tissue regeneration.

Is PRP good for any injury?

In theory, PRP can be used for both internal and external injuries. In most medical communities, conversations around the procedure tend to focus on healing damaged joints, tendons, and other tissues. However, evidence exists that the self-healing treatment is also good for topical damage such as scrapes, visible wounds, and cuts. Specifically for sports injuries, most common issues like ACL tears, knee injuries, wrist pain, and back pain can all benefit from undergoing PRP either as a preemptive treatment before surgery or to boost recovery after an operation.

Is PRP ideal for all athletes?

Ultimately, a variety of individual factors will determine whether an injured athlete is a good candidate for PRP. From a traditional standpoint, the procedure would be a good precursor treatment for a person facing a serious injury that doesn’t respond well or sufficiently to the RICE method. If at-home treatments aren’t working, but surgery isn’t yet recommended, PRP may help to heal the damage. Likewise, an elite athlete that’s anxious to get back to performing will most likely embrace the idea of having PRP added to a post-surgical treatment plan because of the faster recovery timeline the process offers.