Why Elite Athletes Are Turning to PRP (And Why You Should Too)

Many elite athletes are choosing nonsurgical intervention to avoid complications that surgery can cause. When there’s ongoing pain after an acute injury, sometimes the simplest answer is the best: help your body heal itself by boosting its healing powers. 

At The Spine and Sports Center in Sugarland and Houston, Texas, Dr. Benoy Benny provides regenerative medicine, including PRP treatment, to both athletes trying to get back on their game as well as ordinary folks suffering from pain related to arthritis, joint overuse, or other chronic pain issues.

The PRP process 

Regenerative medicine has come a long way in the past few decades, and treatments using PRP have grown in popularity for everything from regenerative hair growth to faster wound healing after surgery and easing chronic joint pain. 

PRP is derived from your own blood, so it’s a bioidentical substance and can’t be rejected by your own body. During PRP therapy, a small sample of your blood is taken and spun in a centrifuge. This separates your blood into its key components: platelets, red and white blood cells, and plasma.

Your red and white blood cells are separated out during the PRP preparation process and concentrated in a small amount of your plasma. This platelet-rich plasma is then injected into the site of your injury or location of your ongoing pain. 

Blood platelets are your body’s first responders. For instance, if you cut yourself, blood rushes to the surface. Platelets clot the wound and send messages to other cells for growth hormones to begin healing the area. 

Many injuries heal slowly because of a lack of blood flow to a joint or tendon. With PRP therapy, doctors create a powerful healing serum that can be strategically injected where it’s needed most. 

Considering PRP?

Before you can be considered for PRP injections, the cause of your pain must be accurately diagnosed and the value of PRP determined for your unique case. If your issue can be improved with PRP, we set an appointment for your blood draw and subsequent PRP injection. 

PRP therapy is intended for minor injuries and post-op recovery; it can’t heal serious damage. If your injury is severe, you might require surgery before healing can begin. However, for many people with ongoing pain, whether related to a sports injury or not, nonsurgical treatments like PRP can prove highly effective.

To schedule a consultation, call our location closest to you or book an appointment online today.