How to Tell if You’ve Torn Your ACL
You’ve heard about sports icons who have torn an ACL. Would you know whether your ACL is torn if you ahe an accident? Learn about the most common symptoms of an ACL tear.
Musculoskeletal Issues PRP Can Help
Whether you’re a weekend warrior, competitive athlete, or engage in more laid-back activities like walking the neighborhood, injuries can happen. If you’re a runner, perhaps you’re prone to plantar fasciitis. If you’re a tennis player, maybe it’s tennis elbow.
Musculoskeletal injuries range from minor to severe. Recovery can take from a couple of days to months or even a year if you have a torn rotator cuff or ACL tear.
Our board-certified orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Jonathan Shults, with Coastal Empire Orthopedics in Savannah, Georgia, uses platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, a form of regenerative medicine, to help you heal from certain musculoskeletal injuries as quickly as possible. Research studies provide evidence that PRP helps hasten the healing of some soft tissue injuries.
After media stories in 2008 revealed that Tiger Woods had PRP injections for knee injuries, the use of PRP to speed soft tissue healing skyrocketed. Now, many orthopedic practices offer PRP.
Increasingly, PRP is viewed as a standard of practice in orthopedics. However, more research is needed to determine proper protocols for effective use. Patients want to try PRP, as anecdotes from others and research point to its efficacy in many, but not all, cases.
Following are five musculoskeletal soft tissue injuries that PRP can help heal.
Various forms of tendonitis
Perhaps you have tennis or golfer’s elbow — tendonitis producing painful inflammation at the outer or inner parts of your elbow. Although more studies are needed, research shows that PRP reduces pain and improves elbow function better than physical therapy or injections alone. PRP may also aid healing in cases of Achilles tendonitis, with pain running from your calf to the bottom of your heel.
Knee osteoarthritis
Research on the use of PRP for knee osteoarthritis is the most robust to date. Patients report reduced pain and stiffness.
PRP can help you if you have mild and moderate osteoarthritis. PRP helps many but not all patients with knee osteoarthritis. Once your knee is composed of bone rubbing on bone, a knee replacement is required.
Ligament injuries
Some of the most common musculoskeletal injuries are ankle sprains and torn knee ligaments. Some initial studies indicate that PRP can help hasten the healing of partial tears of ankle and knee ligaments. If your anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is completely torn, Dr. Shults likely uses PRP during surgery to boost post-operative healing.
Muscle strains
Have you pulled a quad or hamstring muscle? Preliminary research on PRP for muscle strains indicates that it may deliver beneficial effects on healing when compared with controls. But much more research is needed on how best to deliver the PRP.
Plantar fasciitis
Heel pain makes it difficult to walk. If you’re prone to plantar fasciitis, you’ve experienced this type of painful inflammation. Preliminary studies on PRP for plantar fasciitis show that it holds promise in helping to reduce pain and speed healing.
For all of your musculoskeletal issues, call or book an appointment online today with Coastal Empire Orthopedics. We help get you moving freely again.
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