Platelet Gel and the Pittsburgh Steelers
November 18, 2009 by: ToddieMWhy is platelet gel or PRP (platelet rich plasma) becoming the latest rage in sports medicine/rehabilitation surgery?
It is gaining attention simply because it works. What better healing factor than the very healing factors present in your own blood could there be?
It has gained some attention in the media because football players such as Hines Ward, and Troy Polamalu, both from the Pittsburgh Steelers have used it. Both players used it for treatment of their medial collateral ligaments in their knees.
In my practice, I have recently started using it for the treatment of plantar fasciitis and achilles tendonitis. In the past, we were limitted to the use of steroid injections for these injuries. And with regard to the achilles tendonitis, really had no other alternative injection therapy. The blood is seperated into it’s two major components: red blood cells, plasma, and the platelets.
I then take this mixture of PRP, and inject it directly into the area of maximum pain. Sometimes, I use ultrasound to help guide my placement.
The results have been very encouraging. Medicine and technology are a wonderful mix!
