As we have noticed over the last few years, professional athletes are turning to PRP therapy to help heal their injuries quicker. Major League Baseball pitchers often times use this form of treatment to help their ailing arms. Two more bigtime MLB pitchers had PRP injection therapy this past week and are hopeful it can help them get back for the playoffs.
Can PRP Help Bring Strasburg Back for the Playoffs?
The Washington Nationals are certainly heading to the playoffs in 2016 – but the big question for them is – will they have one of their ace starting pitchers back and available? Stephen Strasburg is on the disabled list for the second time this season, and spoke to the media over the weekend regarding his injury.
The injury is an ulnar collateral ligament, but the good news was – it is still intact. Strasburg spoke about getting an injection of PRP (platelet rich plasma), which he hopes is able to assist the healing in his elbow.
Strasburg later mentioned he is going to have a second doctor look at the MRI and evaluate whether he needs a second look or not. Right now, Strasburg is resting, and he started his injections on Friday. How the process is done is – he puts his own blood in a centrifuge, which separates platelets from the rest of his blood. After that, the PRP is injected back into the elbow.
The 28 year old, which was looked at as one of the top young pitchers in Major League Baseball had right elbow soreness for his first injury came back, and immediately felt a punch after just 2.1 innings against the Braves. On the season, Strasburg is 15-4 with an earned run average of 3.60. In July, it looked as if Strasburg would be a major player in the National League Cy Young race. Strasburg is 69-41 in his career.
The Nationals are familiar with PRP treatment, as it’s the same thing that Bryce Harper had done to his right knee in 2013. Strasburg admits that he felt great after the injection, and doctors were pleased with the process
Obviously, this would be a monstrous lift for the Washington Nationals even if they were able to get Strasburg back out of the bullpen. To go along with Max Scherzer, the Nationals would have a good 1-2 punch in the postseason.
It appears likely the Washington Nationals will match up with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round . It would be fun to see Strasburg come back, just like Clayton Kershaw appears to be for the Dodgers. The question is – will PRP lead to a come back for the right hander?
MLB Pitcher Danny Salazar Has PRP Treatment for Flexor Strain
The Cleveland Indians got bad news when they found out one of their starting pitchers would be out for likely the rest of the season. Danny Salazar suffered a mild flexor strain in his right arm, and has undergone PRP treatment for the injury. Platelet-rich plasma will hopefully speed up the recovery time for the righthander.
After the injections, Salazar is not allowed to throw for at least 10 days. Some are saying the team could see him back in 3-4 weeks if the PRP treatment goes as planned. 3-4 weeks would put Salazar available in the postseason race for the Indians.
The 26 year old got off to a great start this season, before going on the disabled list in August. After he came back from the disabled list, he was brutal, with a 6.75 earned run average.
He left the game last Friday after going just four innings, and feel tightness in his forearm. The team originally thought it was precaution, but after a MRI, the team elected for PRP treatment. The MRI showed no damage to the ulnar collateral ligament.
The PRP is a growing trend in Major League Baseball, which for many will speed up the process of healing. The forearm flexor strain basically means that it was pulled or overstretched, which can come from overuse, faulty mechanics or simply fatigue. The flexor muscles in the forearm are located on the palm side of the forearm.
With PRP – they will draw blood from Salazar, and then separate the platelets from the blood in a machine that spins the blood to separate it into different parts. The final step then pushes the platelet rich plasma and it is injected back into Salazar in the location of the injury. Basically, what this does is takes out the weaker parts of the blood, and slides back in the stronger. That’s what helps the healing process.
PRP is starting to become very popular in Major League Baseball as of late. As mentioned above, Washington Nationals star pitcher Stephen Strasburg also is going through the same thing, and many others have done so this season as well. While it’s not 100% guaranteed it will heal faster, it’s documented to be very effective in more cases than not.
