How Platelet-Rich Plasma Can Boost Tendon Healing

A tendon is a cord of strong, tough, flexible tissue (similar to a rope) that connects your muscles to your bones. You’ve got thousands of them in your body, from your head to your feet.

Tendons are strong and resistant to tearing, but they’re not stretchy, so they’re susceptible to injury when they’re strained. Tendonitis can result when a tendon is inflamed, usually due to overuse, and sometimes you can strain or even tear a ligament if the injury is severe enough.

In fact, about 33 million people in the United States experience a musculoskeletal injury every year, with about half of those involving a tendon or ligament. Treatment traditionally involves rest, ice, and physical therapy, but a new procedure called platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is delivering excellent results.

Here at A+ Athlete Sports Medicine in Robbinsville and Neptune, New Jersey, Dr. Adam Redlich and our team use this advanced treatment to boost healing in our patients who have tendon injuries. Here’s how it works.

What is PRP therapy?

Platelets are a component of your blood that contain proteins called growth factors designed to help tissues repair themselves after an injury.

We create platelet-rich plasma by taking a sample of your blood and placing it in a centrifuge, which separates out other components in your blood, creating a solution that has a much higher concentration of platelets than normal.

We then inject this PRP into the site where your tendon is injured. This activates your body’s natural healing response, and the increased number of platelets means the healing takes place at a much higher rate than normal.

How can PRP help tendons?

PRP is especially effective with tendon injuries. Compared to other tissues such as bone and skin, tendons have a limited blood supply, so the amount of growth factors they naturally receive is limited. PRP injections deliver an additional dose of blood and platelets where it’s most needed — right at the site of the injury.

The additional growth factors in the platelets then stimulate the production of collagen, which is an important component of the tissue that makes up your tendons. Not only does the PRP stimulate the stem cells in the tendon, it recruits stem cells from other parts of the body to increase the response.

The PRP injections help decrease the pain and inflammation you’re experiencing while simultaneously rebuilding your tendons until they’re back to normal strength. Your protocol may include multiple treatments as your tendon heals, but your doctor will determine your treatment plan based on your specific situation and response.

If you’re facing a tendon injury, our expert team at A+ Athlete Sports Medicine is here to help. To schedule an appointment, call our office location closest to you or use our convenient online scheduler to book your own time.