Platelet Rich Plasma Treatment for Sports-Related Injury

Posted by samgabril on August 27th, 2015

During the past few years platelet-rich plasma (or PRP therapy for short) has become a more and more popular topic because of its likely effectiveness for treating injuries (especially sports-related).  Famous athletes including Rafael Nadal and Tiger Woods have been quoted on record recommending PRP therapy as a very helpful way to treat sports-related injury. When someone as influential as these two make a statement about something, people pay attention.

Even though PRP therapy is becoming increasingly more popular, it is normal for you to have questions. This is common when you are looking into trying something new. Should you go somewhere that offers PRP treatment in Los Angeles? How can PRP treatment in Los Angeles really help you? Is it effective? What exactly is being treated?

What is PRP Therapy Anyway?

Before you schedule an appointment for a PRP injection in Los Angeles, it is normal for you to want to know exactly what it is you are getting into. The blood in your body is mostly a liquid you may know as plasma. It does, however, contain both red and white blood cells as well as platelets. The platelets hold hundreds of protein which play an important role in healing injuries. As you might assume at this point, the theory is that by injecting extra platelets into your body, you can increase the rate at which your body heals.

How Does PRP Therapy Work?

The way this therapy works is your blood will be drawn from your body by the clinic that offers PRP therapy in Los Angeles that you go to see. Next, the platelets in the blood will be separated from the rest of the blood. The doctors refer to this process as centrifugation. Once the concentration of platelets has been increased, the platelets will be added to your blood and injected back into your body.

While medical experts are still not 100 percent certain how this type of therapy works, it is a process that involves injecting the platelet rich plasma into the tissue or area of the body that has been injured. A very common sports-related injury treated by this type of therapy is called Achilles tendonitis. Injecting the platelet rich plasma as well as some anesthetics decreases the pain and can allow the person to feel better in just a few weeks.

Why Do Athletes Like PRP Therapy?

PRP therapy is highly desirable by athletes because an athlete is a type of person who does not want to wait for an injury to heal to get back in the game. This is someone who wants to jump right back into the ring. With this therapy, you can cut down the time you spend waiting to heal. Any way you can speed up the healing process is a good thing, just always make sure you go over all your options with your doctor before making a decision.