Athletes Turn to PRP to prevent and heal injuries

Dec. 29, 2011 - PRLog -- FitMed's partner, Charleston Sports Medicine, is seeing enormous interest in Platelet Rich Plasma therapy (PRP) among athletes and the chronically injured, as well as from their physicians and scientists.

Less aggressive and less expensive than surgery, PRP therapy uses a patient's own plasma to trigger a healing cascade. Unlike steroid injections for joint pain relief from injuries like runner's knee or tennis elbow, PRP is proven to actually heal injured tendons, ligaments and tissue.

FitMed Partners is trained in leading edge and non-surgical alternative treatment for patients who suffer from acute and chronic problems with tendons, ligaments and muscles.
Charleston Sports Medicine specializes in the Orthobiologics treatment known as “platelet rich plasma” or PRP. PRP is blood plasma with concentrated platelets. The concentrated platelets found in PRP contain large reservoirs of bioactive proteins, including growth factors that are vital to initiate and accelerate tissue repair and regeneration. These bioactive proteins initiate connective tissue healing: bone, tendon and ligament regeneration and repair, promote development of new blood vessels, and stimulate the wound healing process.

To prepare PRP, a small amount of blood is taken from the patient. The blood is placed in a centrifuge which spins and automatically produces the PRP. The entire process takes less than 15 minutes and increases the concentration of platelets and growth factors up to 500%.

When PRP is injected under ultrasound guidance into the damaged area it stimulates the tendon or ligament, causing mild inflammation that triggers the healing cascade. As a result new collagen begins to develop. As this collagen matures it begins to shrink causing the tightening and strengthening of the tendons or ligaments of the damaged area.

PRP therapy for inflamed tendons has been used for years in Europe to treat such things as tennis elbow, Achilles tendonitis, patellar tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis. Results are often seen after one injection, however, sometimes it requires several therapies, scheduled six weeks apart.

FitMed Partners can send a brochure and make an appointment to evaluate whether someone is a candidate for PRP.

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Charleston Sports Medicine, a partner of FitMed Partners, is offering PRP or platelet rich plasma therapy for patients. Used often by professional athletes, this saves the patient from surgery and recovery time.