Platelet Rich Plasma Accelerates Healing of Athletic Injuries

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) has been used by hospitals for surgical applications since the 1970s. Now, due to recent advancements in technology, the treatment has now become available to sports medicine clinics across the globe.

PRP therapy is used to mend injuries to tendons and ligaments without surgery. The procedure involves deriving concentrated platelets and white blood cells from a patient’s blood with the use of a closed platelet separator system and then mixing the PRP with activating agents for injection back into the patient’s own injured tissue. The injection causes a repair response from the body within the injured tissue. The repair response begins with the formation of a local blood clot in muscle, tendon, ligament, and bone followed by the dissolving of the implanted platelets. This releases growth factors that cause fibrous scar tissue to be formed, which results in injured tissue being replaced with healthy tissue.

Because the materials used in the treatment are derived from your own body, the chance of adverse drug reactions is eliminated, making the process completely safe. In addition, with the use of closed PRP systems, no other product or material is allowed to enter during the PRP production process. The systems can also be completely automatic, which allows for consistent reproducible concentrates of PRP.

Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers used PRP treatment prior to the team's win in the Super Bowl. Major league pitcher Takashi Saito of the Los Angeles Dodgers and approximately 20 professional soccer players have also undergone the procedure. According to sports medicine experts, PRP therapy could lead to more successful treatment of persistent injuries such as chronic elbow tendonitis (tennis elbow) and knee tendonitis for athletes.

Because most doctors agree that more thorough studies are necessary to determine the effectiveness of PRP therapy, researchers have been keenly focused on the analysis of the treatment. Much of this research suggests that the procedure will become more and more appealing as a course of treatment for both medical and financial reasons. According to Dr. Allan Mishra, an assistant professor of orthopedics at Stanford University Medical Center and a primary researcher in the field, “It’s a better option for problems that don’t have a great solution—it’s non-surgical and uses the body’s own cells to help it heal. I think it’s fair to say that platelet-rich plasma has the potential to revolutionize not just sports medicine but all of orthopedics. It needs a lot more study, but we are obligated to pursue this.” The entire procedure takes only about 20 minutes and has a far shorter recovery time than surgical procedures.

Although most doctors believe that its worth pursuing the procedure due to the apparent benefits, other physicians have pointed out  that current PRP therapy seems to be ineffective in 20 to 40 percent of cases, in accordance with the type of injury. However, with a cost of only about $2,000, compared to costs between $10,000 and $15,000 for surgery, refinement of the treatment could lead to insurance companies authorizing the use of PRP therapy and possibly even requiring it as a first course of treatment.

In a 2006 study published by The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Dr. Mishra used the PRP therapy on 15 out of 20 patients suffering from tennis elbow who were considering surgery. The remaining 5 patients received only an anesthetic. After two months, the patients who received PRP therapy experienced a 60 percent improvement in pain measurements, compared to only 16 percent for those who received an anesthetic. Dr. Mishra said that he was particularly encouraged by the effectiveness of PRP therapy in the study.

According to Dr. Gerjo van Osch, a researcher in the department of orthopedics at Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands, “This could be a method to stimulate wound healing in areas that are not well-vascularized, like ligaments and tendons.” Dr. van Osch is currently conducting a double blind, randomized study on 54 patients with Achilles’ tendon injuries.

Other studies currently underway include trials on the performance of PRP therapy with rotator-cuff shoulder strains, partial knee-ligament tears and bone fractures within the United States as well as in India and Sweden. In addition, researchers are also probing possible use of PRP therapy coupled with surgery as follow up to a successful study in which a group in Spain used the combined treatment on Achilles’ tendon ruptures that resulted in a reduced recovery time.