PRP therapy

The PRP Injection: Are You A Candidate? (QUIZ)

Don’t miss our “The PRP Injection: Are You A Candidate?" QUIZ at the bottom of the article!

There are several telltale signs and symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. Although occasional knee pain and stiffness isn’t uncommon, there comes a day when one realizes that his or her knees are not like they used to be. Don’t ignore what your body is trying to tell you, instead keep an eye out for new sounds your knees might be making, new areas where pain occurs, and how frequently your knees get stiff and sore. Here are 5 signs that you may be a candidate for the PRP injection.

  1. Sore You were used to your knees occasionally aching after a long jog or hike, or perhaps from doing manual labor like gardening or woodworking. However, you’ve started noticing that your knees just hurt all (or at least most of) the time. This could be due to the degeneration in knee cartilage, which means that the movement of your knee joint is mostly bone-on-bone. This can cause sore, painful, and achy knees, which the PRP injection could benefit by regenerating knee cartilage growth.
  2. Stiff Having a little knee stiffness from time-to-time isn’t abnormal, especially after rigorous physical activity. But if you’re starting to feel like your knee is stiff even after laying down for long periods of time, that could be a sign of joint inflammation due to a lack in cartilage. This means that there’s a good chance you may have knee OA. The healing properties of concentrated blood platelets in the PRP injection can help ease this inflammation by repairing any damaged tissues and bone. In fact, a study from 2011 found that “autologous PRP injections showed more and longer efficacy than HA injections in reducing pain and symptoms and recovering articular function.”
  3. Loud If your knee sounds like a small firecracker going off every time you move it, you may have knee OA or meniscal damage. Either case can be accompanied by both pain and stiffness. Look out for crackling and crunching sounds, as this is a sign that cartilage has worn away, and that the knee joint is now bone-on-bone or a sign of damage and tearing of the meniscus. As previously mentioned, the PRP injection can help regenerate cartilage in the knee joint and stimulate meniscus healing, which would further help prevent any noisy bone-to-bone sounds.
  4. Age Although knee OA can affect nearly anyone for a number of reasons, age is a factor to consider. According to the CDC, 49.6% of persons ages 65 or older reported doctor-diagnosed arthritis. Also, consider that the infection rate for people over the age of 75 is higher than their younger counterparts. Invasive surgery and implants should be taken very seriously, that’s why it’s important to consider a non-invasive approach with significantly less recovery time- the PRP injection. For those who are younger and suffering from knee OA, it’s also important to consider PRP therapy, as surgery can entail a much longer and arduous recovery period than anticipated, especially since a joint has to be replaced every 10 years (on average).
  5. Don’t want surgery No one likes the thought of surgery, and there is certainly no exception for a total or partial knee replacement. Regenerative medicine has recently made (and is continuing to make) great advances in joint regeneration therapy. Both athletes and everyday people alike have been taking advantage of the benefits that the PRP injection has to offer- and now you can too.

***Want to see if your symptoms may qualify you as a candidate for the PRP injection? Take the quiz by clicking here!

Call us today at 1-855-734-3678 or e-mail us at info@regenerismedical.com

Platelet-Rich Plasma: The Hot New Healing Trend Used By Professional Athletes

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is a natural substance within the body that provides numerous healing benefits. To attain PRP, blood is taken from the patient being treated, and then spun in a centrifuge until the PRP is separated from the red blood cells. The PRP is then administered back into patient’s “damaged tissue to enhance the natural pace of healing and regeneration.” [1] PRP therapy is far less invasive than surgery, and less time-consuming than post-surgical healing time and physical therapy.

That’s what makes this regenerative procedure so popular amongst professional athletes. In fact, there’s quite a long list of athletes that have used, or are currently using, PRP therapy. [2]

Another appeal to PRP therapy is that it can be used on a number of common sports injuries that, in the past, have tended to put players out of commission for some time. This includes…

  • Achilles tendinitis
  • Medial collateral ligament (MCL) tears
  • Knee osteoarthritis
  • Injuries to ligaments and muscles
  • Chronic lower back pain
  • Spinal stenosis
  • Tennis elbow
  • Acute and chronic tendon problems
  • Joint fractures
  • Plantar fasciitis
  • Neck pain
  • Rotator cuff tears
  • Morton’s neuroma [3]

 

Here are some of the athletes who have had notorious success with PRP therapy...

 

 

Kobe Bryant

 

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In July of 2011, the famous NBA star travelled to Düsseldorf, Germany to receive regenerative therapy for his arthritic right knee. Apparently, Bryant even “recommended the treatment to Alex Rodriguez, which led the baseball star to undergo the same treatment on his knee late last year [2011].” Although Bryant doesn’t like to personally talk to the press about his injuries and treatments, Rodriguez says that Bryant “was really adamant about how great the procedure was for him,” Rodriguez told reporters.”I know that he was hurting before, almost even thinking about retirement, that’s how much pain he was under. And then he said after he went to Germany he felt like a 27-year-old again. I was still a little apprehensive about it and he kept staying on me about it.”[4]

 

Rafael Nadal

 

The famous tennis player had “aseven-month injury layoff, which started after he lost in the second round at Wimbledon in 2012.” Since receiving PRP therapy for his knee, he has won his 28th Masters 1000 title, and an Olympic Gold medal. [5]

 

Stephen Curry

One of the most recent athletes to use PRP therapy has been the Golden State Warriors own MVP- Stephen Curry. “Curry suffered his injury during Game 4 of the Warriors' opening-round series against the Houston Rockets, on April 24,” according to writer Dan Devine. Curry underwent PRP Therapy earlier this year, and is triumphantly back on the court. [6]

 

Alex Rodriguez

 

As previously mentioned, the now-retired Yankees player was inspired by his friend Kobe Bryant to receive PRP Therapy. After undergoing hip surgery, A-Rod completed“a total of five PRP therapy sessions, after which he reportedly felt great,” in order to help speed up the healing process, and return to the field quicker. In fact, the PRP therapy worked so well for him that he ended up coming back to play much sooner than the team’s doctor had anticipated him to. [7,8]

 

Rafael Furcal

 

After straining his oblique muscle while he was playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Furcal received PRP therapy for a strained oblique muscle. Furcal then injured his hamstring, which “threatened to force him out an additional month, that is until he underwent PRP therapy,” in which he was able to return to the field sooner than predicted.[9]

 

Inspired by Kobe?

There’s a reason why PRP therapy is becoming so popular amongst high-profile athletes. Their first priority is to get back to the field and perform as best as they can- PRP therapy helps them accomplish this quickly and efficiently.

Inspire others like Kobe Bryant has inspired his fellow athletes! Why replace when you could regenerate?

 

CONTACT REGENERIS MEDICAL FOR A CONSULTATION

If you’re interested in learning more about this revolutionary procedure, call Regeneris Medical at 1-855-734-3678 to book your PRP consultation today.

 

 

Sources:

 

[1] https://www.mortonsneuroma.com/professional-athletes-and-platelet-rich-plasma-injections

 

[2] http://www.prptreatments.org/sports-medicine/athletes-using-prp/

 

[3] https://www.mortonsneuroma.com/professional-athletes-and-platelet-rich-plasma-injections

 

[4] http://grantland.com/features/kobe-bryant-dr-chris-renna-regenokine-knee-treatment/

 

[5] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-2449179/Rafael-Nadal-How-broken-star-rebuilt.html

 

[6] http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/stephen-curry-had-platelet-rich-plasma-treatment-on-his-right-knee-182950035.html

 

[7]  http://grantland.com/features/kobe-bryant-dr-chris-renna-regenokine-knee-treatment/

 

[8] http://www.prptreatments.org/sports-medicine/athletes-using-prp/alex-rodriguez-prp-therapy/ [9] http://www.prptreatments.org/sports-medicine/athletes-using-prp/rafael-furcal-prp-therapy/

 

DISCLAIMER

Regeneris Medical® and affiliates do not claim that stem cell treatments or cellular therapies are a cure for any condition or disease. Adipose-derived stem cell therapies are investigational and are not a part of  FDA-approved stem cell therapies. The information and opinions on this website are for educational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for advice from a medical professional. If you think you could benefit from stem cell therapies, we suggest patients research relevant information in addition to the information on our site. Be sure to consult a physician before deciding to participate in any investigational therapies.