Simple Blood Treatment Helps Heal Many Sports Injuries

Could the injection of a patient’s blood directly to an injured area speed the healing of everything from tendinitis to ligament tears? Many sports medicine experts think so. In fact, many believe that it has been effective in up to 80 percent of the cases in which it was put to the test. The New York Times explains that the technique, called platelet rich plasma therapy, places a small amount of the patient’s blood in a centrifuge that rotates at high speed, separating red blood cells from
the platelets that release proteins and other particles involved in the
body’s self-healing process. A teaspoon or two of the
remaining substance is then injected into the damaged area. According to the Times, the high
concentration of platelets — from 3 to 10 times that of normal blood —
often catalyzes the growth of new soft-tissue or bone cells. Because
the substance is injected where blood would rarely go otherwise, it can
deliver the healing instincts of platelets without triggering the
clotting response for which platelets are typically known.
The Times cites one study published by The American Journal of Sports
Medicine, which used the treatment on 15 of 20 patients suffering from tennis elbow who were
considering surgery; the five others received only anesthetic. Two
months later, the patients receiving PRP therapy noted a 60 percent
improvement in pain measurements, compared with 16 percent for the
control group.
Read more in the New York Times