The following is a guest post by Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Raj
More and more people are challenging their cartilage as there is a new found zest to be the best you can. Years ago if you had knee cartilage damage you would shy away from usuage and give up your passion or career. As a surgeon who is cutting edge with new technology i can honestly say there arent alot of great surgical options at a youger age excePt a knee replacement procedure. The reality is we are on the forefront with technology of living a much longer time so why suffer and give up what we love. Once we replace a knee although pain is gone we lose propioception and certainly the ability to be competitive.
Platelet rich plasma (aka PRP) is a newer recently accepted treatment used for some common orthopedic conditions. PRP is a concentration of platelet cells taken from your blood, and these platelets have growth factors that may help in the healing process of acute and chronic injuries. Growth factors are mediators that signal the body to initiate a healing response. By injecting PRP into areas of an injury, the GF stimulate and optimize your body’s ability to heal the orthopedic conditions. PRP is also a very strong antinflammatory. What is new is combining PRP with stem cell injection into the area as the stem cell are undifferentiated and will be stimulated to produce healing in the damaged area…For acute and acute on chronic issues such as cartilage damage.
The options for the younger athelete with artritis are limited so the newly accepted advent of PRP/Stem Cell injections may provide an amazing great option for this client. The early studies are promising and there are no real side effects as these are components of your own body that are being processed and reinjected into your extremity. The only downside is cost as insurances will not cover this. Hopefully with more injections and time we will realize this is our answer.
Dr. Raj is a board certified orthopedic surgeon in Los Angeles, CA. at the Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute. He is widely recognized as one of LA’s best Orthopedists. You can read more about Dr. Raj at http://www.drhipandknee.com or follow him on Twitter (@DRRAJ90211).
