For speedy healing, athletes turn to PRP therapy

A recent article in the Los Angeles Times about several Dodgers players undergoing platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy has put the spotlight back again on its reported effectiveness in promoting healing for many sports-related injuries.

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The popularity of PRP therapy among athletes has escalated with news that high-profile players such as Tiger Woods, Rafael Nadal, and Kobe Bryant have opted for such treatment for their injuries. In 2008, elite golfer Woods underwent PRP injections for his knee surgery, the same treatment tennis champion Nadal received last year also for an ailing knee. Basketball superstar Bryant got PRP injection for an injured knee, too, back in 2011.

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For the case of the Dodgers, team physician Dr. Neal ElAttache has been prescribing PRP therapy to players for the last five seasons. The pro baseball team turns to PRP treatment for its players’ injuries, including partially torn elbow ligament and pulled groin muscle. The latest Dodgers player to have received PRP injections is pitcher Zack Greinke to temper inflammation for his sore right elbow.

PRP treatment involves taking blood from the patient, spinning it down to growth factor-rich platelets, and then injecting it back into the injured area. PRP has been used in musculoskeletal medicine as early as the 1990s, and in surgical and dental procedures since the 1980s. Recent research has revealed PRP’s potential for treating patients with knee osteoarthritis. The study, published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine notes how PRP treatment decreased pain, improved function, and delayed the progress of knee osteoarthritis in most of the surveyed patients.

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PRP therapy is one of the services offered by Dr. Rachna Mehra’s clinic. This website shares more information about PRP treatments.