The FAF AFAP Digest

I did some research about PRP for a client, and became aware that Plasma Lysed PRP treatments have significant supporting evidence and results regarding positive treatment effectiveness, but full recovery results still will vary according to patient circumstances. On the pro sports level it seems to be more used with NBA players from sources I have reviewed.

I am not familiar with the history of your injury(s) requiring PRP, but they certainly took a large blood draw from you, no wonder it was uncomfortable. Yes, lets hope you can get back in the water ASAP, but I am wondering what indications from the medical staff did you get for returning to normal activities. The key is to get the tissue repair and regeneration process firmly established so the body can substantially mend.

Wishing for you the best outcome possible!

Forgive me for not following lately, but what injury is PRP supposed to fix?

Originally Posted by pwb

Forgive me for not following lately, but what injury is PRP supposed to fix?

Mostly the right elbow. I hurt it deadlifting well over a year ago. Docs thought it was tennis elbow. I tried ART, acupuncture, cortisone. Finally, I went to get an MRI. Turns out I had an avulsion tear from the heavy deadlift. I saw an elbow surgeon for a consult, but it's small enough to not be surgical. But it's still painful and interrupts my sleep and ability to pull/haul things. So I opted for PRP/PL again. This is my second set of jabs on the elbow. I may need one more round.

I'm sure some of your shoulder pain is due to stroke mechanics. But some of it may simply be due to age related tendon degradation. Don't rule out PRP it it continues too long.

Originally Posted by fdtotten

I did some research about PRP for a client, and became aware that Plasma Lysed PRP treatments have significant supporting evidence and results regarding positive treatment effectiveness, but full recovery results still will vary according to patient circumstances. On the pro sports level it seems to be more used with NBA players from sources I have reviewed.

I am not familiar with the history of your injury(s) requiring PRP, but they certainly took a large blood draw from you, no wonder it was uncomfortable. Yes, lets hope you can get back in the water ASAP, but I am wondering what indications from the medical staff did you get for returning to normal activities. The key is to get the tissue repair and regeneration process firmly established so the body can substantially mend.

Wishing for you the best outcome possible!

I am sort of the poster child for masters swimmers PRP! I first had it back in 2007 shortly after starting back to masters swimming in 2006. I had immediate shoulder problems that sent me to PT, etc. MRI showed degradation and tendinopathy and a small slap lesion. I had 4 rounds of PRP and my shoulder was fine for years. In Nov. 2011, I hurt my elbow deadlifting (prolly too heavy too soon). It was misdiagnosed as tennis elbow and I tried various cures for many months. I had an MRI awhile ago that showed I had an avulsion tear and some tendinosis, so again decided to opt for PRP. I also reinjured my shoulder early last year with a small labral tear and had some DDS in my neck (shoulder pain is often caused by a neck issue), so opted for PRP for that. Today's treatment was a combo neck/shoulder/elbow jab session, hence the large blood draw. And it was my first time doing the new plasma lysing technology. I am happy imaging all those super-concentrated growth factors working away on my tendons!

In the past, I've recovered fairly quickly from the shoulder jabs. The first round of elbow jabs was more painful, but didn't keep me out of the pool. I just did more kicking than usual for a few days. Athletes typically take longer to heal/need more rounds of PRP because they return to action so fast.

Some of my issues are just age-related. My shoulders were bashed up good from my years of mega distance training in my youth. And most people my age have degraded tendons and discs. But PRP seems to work best on tendinopathies. I am fortunate to have a very experienced doctor who is the PRP expert in the mid-Atlantic region.