How To Treat Patellar Tendonitis With Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy

13 January 2017
 Categories: Health & Medical , Blog

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Chronic patellar tendonitis is a challenging condition for sport practitioners and orthopedic surgeons to treat. It is caused by the overuse of the knee when extending it to participate in activities like kicking, jumping and running. Pain is a common symptom of this condition. It starts between your kneecap and travels down to your tendon that connects to your shinbone.

If you are an athlete at any level, then patellar tendonitis is going to make it difficult to play the sport. This condition can limit how well you perform. Read on to find out how to treat patellar tendonitis with platelet-rich plasma injections (PRP).

How Tendons And Ligaments Work?

Tendons and ligaments are made up of threads of protein. These threads can get stretched or torn, which results in an injury. This injury is referred to as a strain, sprain, tear, or pull. Ligaments and tendons have blood vessels. When an injury occurs, they are going to bleed. If the injury generates enough blood, then you will see bruising around the area. This results in an increase in blood flow to the injury, which aids in the healing process.

The Healing Process

The platelets in the blood heals the tissue by creating new threads of protein. These new protein threads must form in an organized manner to heal properly. The injury must heal properly for your ligaments and tendons to regain normal flexibility and strength.

However, a problem occurs when new protein threads do not form and scar tissue develops instead.  This means something went wrong with the healing process. The development of scar tissue will further hinder your ligaments and tendons. Scar tissue makes it possible for blood vessels to get to the injured area.

Get PRP Therapy

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy can help you get platelets to your injury and help with generating new tissue. It works by taking the blood of the patient. A centrifuge machine is used to separate the blood and draw out the platelets. PRP therapy is a natural process because nothing is added to your blood. For this reason, you do not have to worry about rejection, reaction, or allergy.

Your knee pain doctor from a place like Pottstown Surgical Associates will use an ultrasound machine to locate the injury in your tendon. Next, a needle is used to inject the PRP into your injured area. After the injection, the regeneration of tissues and healing starts.

When blood flow is blocked to the tendons in your knees, it is impossible for your condition to get better. Some athletes have chronic knee problems because of not treating the underlying issue. You have to get rid of scar tissue and make sure your protein threads are in an organized manner.