Why Athletes Should Consider PRP Injections

Athletes often possess the mindset to endure pain, but what happens when the discomfort becomes overwhelming? As an athlete, injuries can slow you down when you are trying to achieve your ultimate goals in your favorite sport. Experiencing an injury that prevents you from reaching these goals can be incredibly frustrating and discouraging. Whether the pain is caused by a torn rotator cuff or tendonitis, it’s a nuisance that is preventing you from furthering your success. Seeking out a pain management doctor in Suffolk County with Integrated Spine and Pain Care can allow you to explore the option of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. At Integrated Spine and Pain Care, we conveniently serve patients living in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Contact us today to learn more!

What is a PRP injection?

Platelet-rich plasma injections use the patient’s own platelets to decrease the duration of the healing process of injuries of the musculoskeletal system. Some examples of injuries that PRP injections treat include:

• Torn rotator cuffs.
• Achilles Tendon Ruptures.
• Tendonitis.
• Chronic Tendinosis.

This process is done by taking blood from the patient and then concentrating the platelets by using a centrifuge to separate it into plasma, platelets, and red and white blood cells. Now that the platelets are stimulated, they are injected back into the patient’s injured tissue, which will lead to an increase of reparative cells to activate the healing process. After the injection, macrophages remove the damaged cells and prepare for the stem cells, as well as other cells, to reproduce. Oftentimes, patients will have to go to their pain management doctor in Suffolk County for multiple injections over a certain period of time to complete the healing process.

Why get PRP injections?

There are many advantages of getting PRP injections to heal your injury such as:

• It helps injuries heal at a faster pace.
• It can diminish pain caused by the injury.
• Injured tissues are repaired and rebuilt.

Some parts of the human body are more prone to improper healing, such as ligaments and tendons because they do not get a lot of blood from the body. This process allows the patient’s own blood to heal the tissue at a much faster pace.

Common injuries treated by PRP injections: 

For years doctors have used PRP to help heal wounds. It has been used during surgeries, especially, for example, it has been used in an effort to stimulate bone formation during spinal fusion surgeries. PRP injections are now being administered in outpatients settings for conditions such as:

• Achilles Tendonitis.
• Rotator Cuff Tendonitis.
• Tennis/Golfer’s Elbow.
• Patellar Tendonitis.
• Shoulder Pain or Instability.
• Knee Sprains.
• Ankle Sprains.
• Knee, Hip, and Joint Osteoarthritis.
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Unlike other treatments, PRP injections have been found to have a sustainable outcome. It can even be considered a permanent fix for some injuries; making it an optimal choice for athletes looking to get back in the game quickly. As a nonsurgical procedure, it allows you to shorten the amount of downtime you normally would be experiencing after an injury. Depending on the severity and location of your injury, you may begin to see improvements within four to six weeks. This includes a reduction in pain. Your pain management doctor in Suffolk County will likely advise you to stick with a therapeutic exercise routine as well as avoiding aggressiveness towards the injected tissue until you’ve waited out the full recovery time.

How can a pain management doctor in Suffolk County help?

When considering potential treatment options for your musculoskeletal injury, contact a pain management doctor in Suffolk County, like Dr. Mikael Sarij. At Integrated Spine & Pain Care, Dr. Mikael Sarij and his team are dedicated to improving the well being of each and every one of our patients! Visit our website to schedule your first appointment!