The following is a PRP patient experience submitted to us by an Olympic captain of the Norwegian gymnastics national team!
What was your injury that was treated with prp?
- I have had problems with my left knee for over 3 years now. i was diagnosed with a pretty bad “jumpers knee”. after so long time the patella ligament had a big oval hole in it.
Did you try any other therapy before you opted for prp treatment?
- Only physical therapy and pain/inflammation killers (voltaren/ diclofenac)
Why did your physician decide to utilize prp for this injury?
- The Norwegian Olympic center decided it because they have had good results from it and it is a pretty new treatment in Norway i think
What medical facility did your physician perform this treatment? Hospital? Physician clinic?
- Olympic center clinic/ doctor
Did your physician have you follow a specific protocol the night before your prp treatment?
- No nothing
Do you remember how much blood was drawn from you? After they drew the blood, how long did you have to wait before the platelet rich plasma was ready for use on your injury?
- I think it was 50 ml. about 5-10 min.
What did the physician do to prepare the injury site for injection?
- Destilated it. and gave me a little local anesthesia
Did the physician use ultrasound as a guide to place the platelet rich plasma?
- yes he did
How did the injection feel? Explain. And do you remember how long the prp treatment took? If you had pain, how long did the pain last? Any swelling?
- This time it was not too bad. It felt like pressure increased inside. because of the anesthesia this time it was not very painful. after my knee felt numb and a little swollen for the rest of the day, but not very painful. the treatment took about 15-20 from i first gave blood till i walked out. I did it once without anesthesia (one year ago) and that was really painful.
After treatment, did your physician wrap the treatment site? If not, what did he do post treatment?
- he wrapped it with compression bandage and asked if i wanted a ice pack to go if it got more swollen.
What was your physicians post prp treatment protocol for you? Restrictions? Rest? Exercise? Stretching? Pain medication? Any specific directions you had to follow?
- no physical activity (running, jumping, no impact) for 48 hours, but i could do upper body strength/ activity.
How much was the prp treatment?
- 1250 NOK (about 200 $). but because of my position as a national team gymnast and student at a sports university i got a lot of discount. the actual price for one PRP-injection is around 500$ i think (this is no fact, only what i think i remember what the doc said)
Did the treatment work for you? If so, when did you start feeling better? How soon could you bet back to playing your sport?
- i have tried PRP four times before. it helps for a short period of time because i never have had the opportunity to rest it 100%. the competition seasons starts and even if i don’t have much pain it has been to early every time. therefore i have always been set back again. The difference this time is that i will combine it with “Slow/Heavy squats”. heavy weight, really slow eccentric/concentric squats. i also will do the injection two more times the next two weeks to boost the healing process. We have planned 12 weeks of rehabilitation training and prp, before i can start doing full training (floor and vault and dismount landings) again. after so many years with pain i have to do it very accurate this time.
Other comments or thoughts about your prp experience?
- I have very faith in the treatment.
