At 3D Sports Medicine, one of our specialties is A2M Therapy. This therapy can help ease joint pain, restore balance, and address various kinds of arthritis. It involves injecting alpha-2 macroglobulin – a naturally-occurring molecule – into the body to eliminate the proteins that cause joint pain. You can read more about A2M injections on our blog post about the topic.
But did you know that there’s a related therapy to A2M injections? We also offer PRP injections, a type of therapy that can restore worn-out cartilage and damaged tissue. Like A2M, PRP – or platelet-rich plasma – can be used to treat sports-related injuries and trauma. It’s a relatively experimental procedure, but has been endorsed by top athletes around the world. Healthline writes that Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal both swear by this procedure to treat their sports-related injuries!
What Are PRP Injections?
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a substance that can rebuild damaged cartilage if injected into the body. Unlike A2M, PRP does not occur by itself in the body. It’s created by concentrating plasma taken from the blood so it becomes – as the name suggests – rich in platelets. Platelets occur in the blood, and are involved in things like tissue healing and prevention of blood clots.
By separating out the platelets from the blood, PRP is more concentrated than the platelets or plasma found naturally in the body. This makes it a more powerful remedy for tissue damage than a typical recovery treatment. It also works faster than conventional recovery methods like physical therapy or medication. For this reason, it’s a popular choice among athletes of all ages.
Advantages of PRP Injections
Healthline writes that PRP injections treat anything from arthritis to sports injuries to hair loss. It’s most commonly used to remedy various forms of arthritis, tissue damage, and post-surgery healing. Studies have proven the effectiveness of this procedure in treating tennis elbow, rotator cuff tears, and chronic tendonitis.
The main advantage of PRP injections over other forms of recovery is its speed. It accelerates the healing process for a wide variety of injuries. If you’re an athlete who needs to return to the court or field as soon as possible, PRP can make a world of difference in your recovery. Another advantage of PRP injections is that they reduce the need for medication. As an alternative to conventional treatment methods, they limit the patient’s dependency on anti-inflammatories or pain relievers. Finally, as PRP is created using your own blood, there are little to no complications with this kind of treatment.
The Process
The process for PRP injections is much the same as A2M therapy. Dr. Dominguez can perform the whole procedure onsite at our office in as little as 30 minutes.
First, we’ll withdraw blood from your arm. Then we spin it in a centrifuge at high speed to separate out the platelets and the blood cells. Finally, we inject the platelet-rich portion back into the body at the point of injury, identified by an X-ray or ultrasound. It’s a simple but highly effective process.
For more information on PRP injections, or to schedule an appointment, contact 3D Sports Medicine today!
