Three Sports, Three Injuries — And How PRP Therapy Can Get You Back In The Game

Platelet-rich plasma therapy is a form of treatment that many professional athletes use to recover from injuries — and lessen the risk of future ones. However, you don't need to have signed a multimillion dollar contract to benefit from PRP therapy. If you're an athlete, even at the high school, college, or casual level, you may occasionally end up with a nagging injury that limits your ability to compete. Visit your doctor for an assessment, and he or she may send you for PRP therapy, in which your own blood's platelets are injected at the site of the injury to help it heal. Here are three sports and three common injuries for which this type of treatment can be an asset.

Basketball — Knee Injuries

Although a variety of injuries can bother basketball players, knee injuries are common. In addition to the pounding that your knees take just from running up and down the court in games and in practice, jumping to grab a rebound or block a shot and landing awkwardly can lead to various knee injuries, including strains and tears of your ligaments, which can be very serious. As a basketball player, you're largely ineffective with knee pain, and even a minor knee issue can keep you out of your team's games.

Tennis — Elbow Injuries

Often known as "tennis elbow," tennis players frequently develop pain in the elbow of their dominant arm. During a single tennis match, you may swing your arm several hundred times, and long practice sessions in which you hit hundreds of balls can further put wear and tear on this part of your body. Over the course of a tennis season, your elbow can bother you to the extent that you no longer feel capable of swinging your racket, much less competing.

Baseball — Shoulder Injuries

Serious shoulder injuries can shut down not only your season as a baseball player, but also threaten your career. Although any baseball player can sustain a shoulder injury, those most at risk are pitchers, due to the violent mechanics involved with throwing a ball at a high rate of speed. Rotator cuff tears and a host of other shoulder problems can all arise, given that you throw a ball countless times over the course of your season. For each of the above sporting injuries, PRP therapy may be a viable treatment option to speed up the healing process and help you to get back in the game.

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