Participating in sports provides many health benefits to players. Unfortunately, sports injuries are common, affecting millions of people each year.
Athletic injuries can fall into two categories. An acute injury occurs suddenly. An injury that develops over time and lasts longer is considered chronic. Exploring all treatment options to restore your playing ability as quickly as possible after an injury is beneficial for long-term healing and prevention of future injuries.
Regenerative medicine can help create living, functional tissues to repair or replace tissues or organ functions lost due to aging, disease, injury or damage.2
In sports medicine, Platelet Rich Plasma can be used to treat athletic injuries. Platelets and growth factors are abundant in PRP, derived from the individual's blood.3 In addition to promoting soft tissue healing, platelet-rich plasma therapy can rejuvenate ligaments and tendons.4 PRP injections can be a helpful treatment for common sports injuries, like painful tendonitis.
In team sports, tendinopathies account for a significant number of injuries. PRP therapy treats tendonitis or partial tears by injecting the patient's platelet-rich plasma into the injured area. Injecting PRP causes the cells to activate and increase, offering rapid healing.
PRP injections can amplify the body's healing abilities and can be used alongside any necessary surgical treatments. New Jersey Orthopaedic Institute (NJOI) offers biologics, regenerative non-surgical therapy, and minimally invasive surgical treatments to help athletes get back in the game.
Author: Dr. Robert Palacios is board-certified, fellowship-trained, and specializes in outpatient orthopedics and sports medicine. Dr. Palacios has been a team physician for Montclair State University since 1992 and a team physician for Seton Hall University since 2002. He is also the team physician for many high schools in the tri-county area. Dr. Palacios's accomplishments include receiving the Medical Teacher of the Year award from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
