30 Jul Platelet Rich Plasma Injections Help Repair Torn Hamstring
One of the most common injuries in athletes is a torn hamstring. Hamstrings tend to heal slowly because the muscle does not have the best circulation. Platelet-rich plasma therapy can bring that vital blood flow back into injured hamstrings. Some world famous athletes have publicly stated they have used this therapy to heal torn muscles to speed up recovery time. Platelet-rich plasma has the ability to introduce the body’s healing growth factors, fixing your hamstring with your own platelets.
What Is Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy?
Blood mostly contains plasma, but the smaller portion of it holds our white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. These platelets are commonly known to help with clotting our blood after injuries and wounds. They contain growth factors that are essential in the healing of injured muscles, tendons, and tissues. Platelet-rich plasma is a plasma that contains around five to ten times the normal amount of platelets found in your blood. It is a simple, minimally invasive procedure where a doctor starts by taking samples of a patient’s blood, spinning that blood down in a machine to separate the plasma layer from all the other cells, and then concentrating these platelets into an injection for the injured area. This increases the concentration of growth factors, which helps to speed up the healing process. It may be several weeks before patients feel relief in the area, but the effects can be extremely beneficial in the long run. These injections not only relieve pain but help to heal the injury with components the body already has to heal itself. Patients can also feel safer knowing where the source of the injection
What is a Torn Hamstring?
The term “hamstring” refers to the group of 3 muscles that run along the back of your thigh, from your hip to just below your knee. The hamstring muscles aren’t used much while standing or walking, but they’re very involved during activities that require bending the knee, such as running, jumping and climbing. A hamstring injury is a strain or tears to the tendons or large muscles at the back of the thigh. The injuries can range on a scale of severity from grade 1 to 3. The severity of the tear will determine how long it takes for the injury to heal. A minor muscle pull or strain is considered a grade 1 injury. This may take a few days to a week to heal Grade 2 or 3 injuries could take weeks to months to recover from.
How Can Platelet Rich Plasma Help My Injured Hamstring Heal?
The most recent studies show that PRP is most effective in the treatment of chronic tendon injuries, especially tennis elbow, which is a common injury of the elbow. PRP can stimulate the growth factors in injured muscle that lack the essential blood flow to heal tendons. Speak with your doctor about platelet-rich plasma therapy, because it may just be the key to healing your injured hamstring.
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