How Stem Cell Therapy Can Get You Back in the Game

Whether you’re a professional or an amateur, a sports injury can sideline you from participating in your favorite physical activity. Unfortunately, traditional treatments for sports injuries can require extensive recovery time, including rest, surgical intervention, and rehabilitation, which can keep you out of the game for an extended period of time. From bone breaks to post-injury arthritis, sports injuries can take a long time to heal, or never heal at all.

Fortunately, an innovative regenerative treatment known as stem cell therapy provides patients with an alternative to conventional techniques that helps improve healing outcomes and gets you back in the game in less time.

Even injuries that require minimally invasive surgery need ample recovery time in order for athletes to fully heal and reduce the risk of recurrent injury. Following minor surgery, the recovery process will vary for each individual but it usually includes limited movement, bracing, and/or physical therapy.

For athletes, this loss of active playtime is particularly difficult for athletes who have reached their peak performance as they must pause their athletic careers to simply heal. However, with the use of regenerative therapy techniques, post-surgical patients enjoy faster recovery times and for some, surgical intervention can sometimes be avoided altogether.

What Is Stem Cell Therapy?

While stem cells exist in all of our tissues, certain areas like bone marrow and fat contain an abundance of these regenerative cells. In autologous adult stem cell therapy, regenerative cells are extracted from the bone marrow or fat and injected into areas of injury or degeneration to reduce inflammation and promote regeneration and healing.

Scientists believe that stem cells work in this capacity by migrating to areas of distress and then releasing specific chemical signals to recruit other local cells to switch from a degenerative mode to a regenerative one. In this role, stem cells sort of work as an orchestra conductor. Bone marrow and fat contain not only stem cells but other substances like growth factors, which are also beneficial for regenerative effects.

How is a Stem Cell Therapy Treatment Performed?

Stem cell therapy is a relatively quick procedure that requires minimal downtime. Stem cell therapy is broken down into the following steps:

• Your orthopedic surgeon will extract the cells from a healthy area of the body
• A local anesthetic is applied to this area before your cells are carefully extracted
• The stem cells are separated in a centrifuge device
• Finally, the stem cells are injected directly into the site of the injury

There are many sports injuries that can be helped with regenerative therapy. For example, stem cell therapy can help treat musculoskeletal injuries, such as tendon inflammation, muscle sprains, arthritis, and bone fractures. Some of the most commonly experienced sports injuries that regenerative therapy can address include:

Muscle Injuries

The most common type of sports injury is a muscle strain. When the muscle sustains an injury, stem cell therapy helps create new muscle tissue in a process known as regeneration.

Cartilage Damage

The most typical type of cartilage damage occurs in the knees. When an athlete suffers a knee injury, the cartilage, which helps with shock absorption begins to deteriorate. Regenerative therapy can naturally reduce painful inflammation to help improve range of motion and function.

Tendinopathy

Tendinopathy is an overuse injury most commonly affecting runners and tennis players. Frequent, repeated movements can lead to tendon damage. However, stem cell therapy can help heal the damaged tendons and improve both strength and structure.

Bone Injuries

Athletes often experience stress fractures when training or competing. These injuries occur when a substantial amount of stress is placed on a bone or joint, causing the tissue to weaken and break. Regenerative techniques help stress fractures heal by stimulating the growth of blood vessels at the break and jump starts bone repair.

Your Sports Injury Expert in Los Angeles

If you’re suffering from a sports-related injury, regenerative therapy can help you heal. Beverly Hills orthopedic surgeon Steven W. Meier, MD and his team at Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine (MOSM) are experts in regenerative medicine techniques, which can help improve your post-injury recovery. Contact Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine to schedule a consultation today.

Next, read Chronic Back Pain? Now’s the Time to Schedule a Consultation

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Chronic Back Pain? Now’s the Time to Schedule a Consultation

Chronic low-back pain is one of the most common causes of disability worldwide. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on lower back pain and it’s the leading cause of lost productivity, making it imperative for patients to seek appropriate treatment with an orthopedic specialist to help eliminate their pain and reduce their risk of recurrence.

What is Chronic Back Pain?

There are two types of back pain: Sub-acute and Chronic. Sub-acute refers to pain in the back that lasts between 4 and 12 weeks. The second type: chronic back pain is persistent pain that lasts 12 weeks or longer. Unfortunately, it’s possible to injure your back in typical everyday activities like lifting boxes, reaching into your car trunk or twisting while swinging a golf club. It is so easy to injure your back that almost everyone has experienced low back pain at one time or another. While most of these cases may resolve on their own, chronic pain requires orthopedic treatment.

What are the Causes of Persistent Back Pain?

Some of the typical reasons for pain in the back include:

• Overuse, strain, or injury either through work tasks, sports or daily activities
• Normal aging and/or genetics
• Herniated disc
• Degenerative disc disease
• Facet joint degeneration
• Compression fractures

What Are Common Symptoms?

Just as there are varied causes for pain in the back, there is also a wide range of symptoms. For example, chronic back pain may either be dull or sharp. Pain can occur in a small area of the back or over a large area with or without additional muscle spasms. This type of persistent pain can also cause additional symptoms in one or both legs, such as pain, numbness, or tingling, often extending below the knee.

Chronic back pain can negatively impact several areas of life. Some of the debilitating effects include:

• Reduced ability to perform daily and work tasks
• Insomnia and reduction in quality sleep
• Decreased ability to participate in physical activity or exercise

While it’s true that some degree of back pain and discomfort can be normal from time to time, with more and more people spending large portions of the day bent over their smartphones or working at their desk for hours at a time, are leading to a higher percentage of persistent pain in the back. With an accurate diagnosis from an orthopedic doctor, it’s possible to develop a treatment plan to successfully eradicate long-term pain.

At Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine, we specialize in leading-edge, minimally invasive techniques as a preferable alternative to surgery. We have been performing regenerative injection therapy (RIT) for chronic back pain with very promising success. This progressive treatment, which consists of a combination of stem cell prolotherapy, intra-discal platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and dextrose epidural injections, harnesses the body’s own healing capacity to help restore pain-free function. Rather than rely on steroids to temporarily mask the pain, we focus on optimizing tissue health and regeneration for longer-lasting pain relief.

Your Chronic Back Pain Expert in Los Angeles

Chronic back pain can happen to anyone. However, with the help of Beverly Hills orthopedic surgeon and regenerative medicine expert Steven W. Meier, MD and his team at Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine (MOSM) it’s possible to heal from your chronic back pain. Contact us to schedule a consultation today.

Next, read How Different Types of Exercise Can Help Prevent Injuries

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How Different Types of Exercise Can Help Prevent Injuries

It doesn’t matter if you enjoy a pickup basketball game on the weekends or are a professional athlete, the number one way to prevent injury is with adequate physical conditioning. Not only do proper sports training regimens help decrease the risk of injury, but they also help decrease the severity of an injury if it should occur and can help reduce the risk of recurrent injury.

For example, when an athlete performs strengthening exercises for muscles around specific joints like the knee, it helps stabilize the joint and reduces the danger of injuries. In addition to reducing the chance of injury, strengthening the ligaments around the knee improves stabilization of the knee and can even enhance athletic skill.

Physical training falls into two primary groups: aerobic and anaerobic. Each group has its own benefits and should be utilized as part of a comprehensive conditioning program aiming toward injury prevention and maximizing athletic performance.

The Benefits of Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercises for Injury Prevention

Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise help increase cardiovascular endurance. Sufficiently conditioning the cardiovascular and respiratory systems helps athletes delay the onset of fatigue during physical activity. Not sure what “aerobic and anaerobic” mean?  Hold tight, we will explain in just a second.  When an athlete is fatigued, they are vulnerable to injury and the nervous and muscular systems are unable to efficiently repair the body after injury.

With the use of aerobic and anaerobic exercise in sports training, cardiovascular endurance is increased and subsequent fatigue is delayed. In addition to these injury-reducing benefits, both aerobic and anaerobic exercise offer diverse health and fitness benefits that make them an essential addition to any training program.

What is Aerobic Training?

Aerobic training (often referred to in sports medicine as “moderate-intensity” training) is a type of conditioning that relies on the continual intake of oxygen during the workout. With aerobic exercise, our body burns both fat and stored glucose as fuel for our performance. The benefits of this type of exercise is twofold: our bodies begin to burn calories at a higher rate and our stamina is improved. For example, aerobic training will help runners run for longer periods of time. This helps delay leg fatigue during longer distances and reduces injury risk. Aerobic training also benefits your overall health by burning fat and strengthening your heart and lungs.

In order to get the most benefits out of an aerobic exercise, you’ll want to exercise hard enough to know that your body is working, but not so much that you are out of breath and unable to talk.

Examples of beneficial aerobic exercise include the following:

• Jogging
• Biking
• Swimming
• Hiking

What is Anaerobic Training?

In sports medicine, anaerobic training is also known as “high-intensity training.” This type of training is more intensive than aerobic and involves pushing an athlete to the limits of his or her abilities. During anaerobic training, your heart and breathing rate is accelerated so much that it is difficult to carry on a conversation. The body will continue to generate energy in the absence of oxygen and it’s common to feel out of breath or even the need to focus on breathing. With the increased effort involved with anaerobic training, the body uses carbohydrates for fuel, helping improve the body’s overall metabolic rate. This type of training works with activities that aren’t sustained for long periods without rest, like lifting weights or sprinting.

High intensity training offers many health benefits, including an “after burn” effect. An “after burn” effect means the body continues to burn calories for up to two hours after you’ve completed exercising. The amount of energy expended during the recovery phase is dependent on the intensity of the anaerobic activity. In addition to improving the body’s metabolism, anaerobic exercise enhances explosive strength, speed, and power that translates into better athletic performance and a reduced risk of injury while participating in your chosen sport.

Orthopedic Specialists and Injury Prevention Experts in Los Angeles

Whether you’re a professional athlete or a weekend warrior, proper conditioning plays an essential role in injury prevention. However, if you’ve suffered an injury, Beverly Hills orthopedic surgeon Steven W. Meier, MD and his team at Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine are experts in a wide-range of orthopedic injuries and the latest sports medicine treatments, including innovative regenerative medicine, to help return you to full function and improved athletic performance. If you’ve suffered a sports injury, contact our sports medicine experts today.

Next, read Avoiding Common Winter Injuries

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Avoiding Common Winter Injuries

Whether you live in a city that experiences true winter weather or you travel to participate in winter activities like downhill skiing, snowboarding or ice skating, there’s always a risk of muscular and joint injuries when dealing with ice and snow. While these outdoor sports are great for improving cardiovascular health, when an orthopedic injury occurs, it can lead to pain, long recovery times, and increased medical costs.

The good news is that, if armed with education and information on common winter-sports-related injuries, it’s possible to both prevent injuries and enjoy your favorite activities.

The Most Common Winter-Sports Injuries

Knee Injuries

Knee injuries are some of the most common types of injuries treated in sports medicine. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is partially responsible for stabilizing the knee during movement. When the ACL is injured, whether sprained or torn, it results in instability in the knee and debilitating pain. ACL injuries most often occur during winter sports that require sudden stops or abrupt changes in direction, like snowboarding. When torn, an orthopedic surgeon may recommend an ACL reconstruction surgery in order to rebuild the ligament while restoring stability and mobility to the knee.

Shoulder Injuries

Shoulder injuries, like dislocation, are very common during winter time. Winter weather leads to snow and ice, which can even make it challenging to walk. Participating in a strenuous activity can increase the risk of shoulder injury.

Skiing, ice skating, and ice hockey are all activities that can put you at risk for a shoulder injury. These activities have a higher risk of falls and when you hit a hard surface like ice, you run the risk of dislocating your shoulder. The shoulder joint is more mobile than other joints on the body, which increases its instability. As a result, a sudden impact can easily cause the joint to slip out of the socket, leading to intense pain and possible damage to nearby ligaments and muscles.

If you or a fellow athlete takes a fall, it’s imperative to seek care at an emergency room and with an orthopedic surgeon right away. Unlike primary care doctors, orthopedic surgeons specialize in treating shoulder injuries and are trained to surgically repair any damaged tissue in the shoulder, if necessary, as well as restore stability to the joint.

Wrist Fractures

A wrist fracture involves a break in the small bones of the wrist or ends of the forearm bones. These types of fractures most commonly occur when a patient attempts to break their fall by holding out their hands and subsequently landing on them.

Over six million people suffer a broken bone annually but only 300,000 of those cases will heal successfully. With a wrist fracture, it’s important to seek an evaluation with an orthopedic surgeon to assess the severity of the break and provide expert treatment. Wrist fracture treatments might include wearing a splint or cast, depending on the amount of damage and/or loss of function. Surgical intervention is necessary in cases when the break is severe, when conservative treatments fail, or in order to restore full function.

In addition to these treatments, rehabilitation is an important part of the healing process with the primary goals of restoring the range of motion, strength, and functional movement. Learn more about wrist injury treatments at WebMD.com.

Spinal Injuries

Spinal or back injuries are some of the most common and disruptive injuries that can occur with winter activities. Injuries to the back can vary from annoying to dangerous. Sprains and strains to the ligaments of the back can lead to pain and weeks of recovery, while a fracture or dislocation can damage the spinal cord leading to partial or full paralysis. Skiers, snowboarders and ice hockey players are prone to spinal injuries. While some spinal injuries will resolve on their own, it’s valuable to seek out an evaluation with an orthopedic surgeon to evaluate your symptoms if they do not resolve within a few weeks. Innovative orthopedic spine treatments and regenerative medicine offer patients with spinal injuries the most effective healing options with efficient recovery times.

How to Prevent Common Orthopedic Injuries During the Winter

Make sure to warm-up before participating in any wintertime activity, like skiing, snowboarding or skating. Stretching will not only help improve your flexibility but also reduce your risk of injury. Additionally, pre-season conditioning is crucial for preventing knee, shoulder, wrist, or back injuries. It’s recommended to incorporate resistance training to strengthen the stabilizing muscles and connective tissues as well as improve functional strength.

Your Winter Sports Injury Expert in Los Angeles

Playing winter sports can be unpredictable and injuries can happen. Beverly Hills orthopedic surgeon and regenerative medicine expert Steven W. Meier, MD and his team at Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine (MOSM) have extensive training and expertise in diverse orthopedic injuries and can help return you to full function in your chosen winter activities. If you’ve suffered an orthopedic injury, contact Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine online or call our office to schedule a consultation today.

Next, read Sports and Exercises for People with Knee Injuries

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Sports and Exercises for People with Knee Pain

If your knee pain is chronic, whether from arthritis or several ACL injuries, you may refrain from sports that feature a lot of running or jumping because of the impact they have on your knees. You may even avoid going to the gym for your regular workout for fear that you may aggravate your condition with the wrong exercises.

This doesn’t mean, however, that you must sit on the sidelines forever, relegated to life as a spectator. Los Angeles orthopedic surgeon Dr. Steven Meier and the rest of the staff at Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine have several suggestions for sports and/or exercises that can be great alternatives to those who put so much wear and tear on their knees.

In the Water

Jumping in the pool, lake, or ocean to play water sports is one of the best ways to get or keep fit without worsening your knee pain, even if you’ve had multiple ACL injuries. Studies consistently show that regular water exercise is good for you, as it improves both your mental and physical health as well as decreases your risk of chronic disease. For example, simply walking in the water can help because it doesn’t put much stress on your knees.

But there are plenty of other, perhaps more exciting water sports to get your heart racing and blood pumping while also helping your knee pain.

Swimming

This might not be a surprise, but it’s still worth mentioning. If you swim at the local pool, you’ll get a great workout and keep in shape while not exacerbating your knee pain. From the backstroke to the butterfly, swimming helps strengthen and condition all parts of your body without causing adverse stress on your knees.

Water Polo

If you’ve never played water polo, you’ll be shocked at how difficult it is; yet, you’ll be amazed at how fit you’ll look, and how little knee pain it causes. A word of caution, however – sometimes, the sport causes you to push off the bottom of the pool, so be careful that you don’t do so too energetically.

Rowing

While rowing isn’t exactly in the water, it still is a low-impact water sport. From a seated position, rowing requires you to use your upper body and arms to move the canoe or kayak across the water. If your orthopedic surgeon has advised you to keep your knees immobile or if you have too much pain, then competitive rowing might not be a good idea.

On the other hand, if your knees are good enough and you’re looking for a good workout, rowing can be a good option. A word of recommendation, though – when you push backward, don’t push off with your toes, as this will put a strain on your knee. Instead, use your leg muscles by pushing off with your entire foot.

On the Land

Although water sports are ideal if you have knee pain, there are land-based sports that you can indulge in that keep you fit without making your knees feel worse.

Cycling

Perhaps the most popular land-based sport for those enduring knee pain, cycling is also an effective mode of transportation to and from work, the supermarket, or a friend’s house. You can start slow if you’re recuperating from ACL injuries, such as by biking around the neighborhood or in the park.

As you gain strength and endurance, you can extend your distance and speed – eventually entering road races if you really start to get into it.

Walking

This is usually underrated because you walk everywhere – to work, through a supermarket, down the street to the neighbor’s, etc.

However, if you make walking part of your exercise routine and use it as a way to keep fit, you’ll find yourself looking forward to it, especially if you’re recovering from ACL injuries. In fact, as you get into it, you could find yourself on a moderate trail in the woods, which can be an excellent type of walking that’s good for your knees.

Wheelchair Sports

Wait – before you say, “My knee pain isn’t so bad that I need a wheelchair!” Stay with us for a moment.

Engaging in wheelchair sports, where you remain seated the entire time, provides a challenge that you may have never considered. While keeping off your knees, you can play wheelchair soccer, basketball, hockey, or even volleyball. You might find that being confined to a wheelchair to compete in your favorite sports is a unique way to keep those competitive juices going while not worsening your knee pain.

Avoid These Sports

We’ve narrowed down some of the toughest sports on your knees, so if you have knee pain or are recovering from an ACL tear, we strongly advise avoiding the following (listed in no particular order).

• Golf (yes, because of the strain put on knees while swinging)
• Running
• Skiing
• Basketball
• Plyometric exercises (often called “jump training”)
• Tennis
• Soccer

Treatment Options for Your Knee Pain

There’s no “one-size-fits-all” treatment for your knee pain. A variety of factors go into which treatment can benefit you the most, including your age, overall health condition, recovery goals (i.e., living without pain, playing competitive sports, etc.), and the extent/history of your injury or injuries.

With that in mind, the following are several common options, including surgical and cutting-edge regenerative therapies, that might help relieve your knee pain:

• Ligament reconstructive surgery (ACL, MCL, LCL, PCL)
• Arthroscopy
• Knee replacement surgery
• Kneecap pain treatment
• Prolotherapy
• Stem cell treatment
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy

Learn more about knee pain procedures at WebMD.com.

Want to Play Sports or Exercise More But Have Knee Pain? Contact Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine to Find Out More

Orthopedic surgeon Steven W. Meier, M.D. and his staff in Beverly Hills are experts in helping you deal with your knee pain, among other orthopedic conditions. To learn more, contact our office to set up a consultation today.

Next, read Ways to Prevent Debilitating ACL Injuries

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Ways to Prevent Debilitating ACL Injuries

ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries are the most common types of orthopedic knee injuries. The ACL is one of four significant ligaments in the knee joint that helps provide stability in the joint and helps facilitate the necessary coordination for movement. Therefore, damaging the ACL can easily reduce functional movement and interfere with one’s ability to participate in daily activities.

Each year, orthopedic surgeons treat 150,000 to 200,000 injured anterior cruciate ligaments, with most injuries occurring during physical activity and sports.

What is the ACL?

The ACL is located at the bottom of the thigh and attaches at the top of the shin. This tough, but elastic ligament is responsible for keeping the shin bone (tibia) from sliding in and out of the thigh bone (femur) and helps provide support for activities like twisting, turning, and jumping. However, since the ACL is made of elastic tissue, it can tear or rupture if overworked or over-stressed.

The most common ACL injuries occur in one of two ways: contact and non-contact.

A contact ACL injury occurs when there is direct trauma to the ligament from an event like a hard fall, car accident, or a football tackle. A non-contact ACL injury can happen when playing a sport or even during day-to-day activities. For example, if you rotate your body and twist while your foot is still planted on the ground, it can result in an ACL tear. If the damage from a ligament tear or rupture is extensive, it can require an arthroscopic reconstruction procedure to help restore function and mobility.

The Symptoms of a Torn or Ruptured ACL

An ACL injury may present the following symptoms:

• Pain in the knee
• Joint instability or the feeling that the joint gives out
• Local swelling and edema
• Knee stiffness
• Bruising
• Limping
• Difficulty standing
• A “pop” heard at the time of the injury

If you experience any of these symptoms, it’s important to seek an evaluation with an orthopedic surgeon to help diagnose your knee injury and the best course of treatment.

Tips for Preventing Knee Ligament Injuries

While there isn’t just one single tip that can prevent an ACL injury, there are some great lifestyle tools and changes that can be used for injury prevention.

Warm Up Before Physical Activity

As you prepare to exercise or participate in any physical activity, it’s important to warm up fully. It is recommended to warm-up approximately 10–15 minutes before exercising or participating in sports by doing a series of stretches and light exercises that will increase the blood circulation and gently move the knee before more strenuous activity. Warming up also increases the presence of synovial fluid, which helps your knee joints function smoothly.

Up-Level Your Exercise Regimen

Adding specific strength training and cross-training exercises can help improve the health of your knee. Strength training with exercises like leg presses, squats, and lunges can help improve stability in the knee. Cross-training with a cardiovascular component is also beneficial and can be performed using a stair-climber, stationary bike, or elliptical trainer. Lastly, adding training drills that use plyometric exercises like jumping or lunges can help improve neuromuscular conditioning and ultimately reduce the risk of an ACL injury.

Perform Adequate Pre-Training

If you participate in a specific sport or fitness activity, you can help prevent an ACL injury or tear by preparing with adequate training. For example, before participating in basketball, tennis or soccer, plan for four weeks of endurance training prior to the beginning of the season to help with gaining the strength necessary to protect your knees.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Maintaining a healthy weight can go a long way toward improving your overall health and can help prevent placing too much weight and pressure on your knees. Excess weight can also negatively impact balance and coordination which can result in knee injuries.

Adopting healthy habits to protect the knees is paramount for avoiding an ACL injury. Once a person has suffered a knee injury, there can be life-long complications or problems. ACL injuries can lead to early onset osteoarthritis, pain, and the inability to return to pre-injury activity levels. However, if you think you have suffered an ACL injury, seek an evaluation with an orthopedic surgeon to help you determine the best course of action, which may involve minimally invasive regenerative medicine techniques, physical therapy, and lifestyle modifications or even surgery.

Treatment for Severe ACL Injury

In cases of severe damage, arthroscopic knee surgery may be recommended in order to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament. Arthroscopic surgery is a great option for treating ACL injuries because the procedure is minimally invasive compared to traditional open surgery.

Arthroscopic surgery involves only two to three small incisions through which small surgical tools and an instrument with a light and camera are inserted, allowing orthopedic surgeons, such as Dr. Meier, to effectively treat and reconstruct the damaged ligament without interfering with the surrounding tissues and structures of the knee.

Learn more about anterior cruciate ligament tear treatment options at WebMD.com.

Your Orthopedic Injury Expert in Los Angeles

Accidents can happen. Beverly Hills orthopedic surgeon and regenerative medicine expert Steven W. Meier, M.D. and his team at Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine (MOSM) offer the latest in arthroscopic surgical techniques to help return you to full function after an ACL injury. Contact Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine at (310) 853-1029 to schedule a consultation today.

Next, read Top NFL Players Who Have Undergone PRP Therapy for Orthopedic Injuries

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Top NFL Players Who Have Undergone PRP Therapy for Orthopedic Injuries

What Is PRP, How is it Used, and Who in the NFL is Getting It?

Here’s the Short List:

• Hines Ward
• Matt Forte
• Troy Polamalu
• LaRon Landry
• Peyton Manning
• Dez Bryant
• Peyton Hillis

Knee injuries – In 2015, after suffering a knee injury, Matt Forte with the New York Jets had PRP injections to his right knee to help improve his healing outcome and speed up recovery.

Sprains and strains – Troy Polamalu with the Pittsburgh Steelers used PRP therapy to help facilitate his recovery after a strained calf prevented him from performing at his expected level. Not only was he able to take the field during the Super Bowl following regenerative medicine treatments, but he was also able to intercept a 40-yard pass for a touchdown.

Shoulder injuries – LaRon Landry of the Washington Redskins is another NFL athlete who used PRP therapy after he injured his shoulder and Achilles tendon. His orthopedic surgeon decided to use shockwave therapy combined with PRP treatments, which he credits for getting him back on the starting line-up for the Washington Redskins in less time.

Spinal injuries – Indianapolis Colts player Peyton Manning used stem cells to help enhance his recovery after a neck injury. PRP can be combined with Stem Cell Therapy to improve orthopedic treatment outcomes.

Fractures – Injured Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant received PRP injections after he fractured his foot. He credits the treatment for his successful recovery and the chance to return to the field sooner than anticipated.

Top NFL Players and PRP Therapy for Orthopedic Injuries

When any NFL player is injured, his first question is almost always, “How soon can I play again?” When Hines Ward of the Pittsburgh Steelers injured his knee, he looked to regenerative medicine in the form of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy to help speed his recovery and get him ready to play in the Super Bowl that season.

In the past, when a professional athlete sustained an injury, the traditional treatment route would involve surgery, followed by rehabilitation with physical therapy. Recovery times for sports-related injuries can vary, and, in some cases, be lengthy. Some NFL players can lose months or even a whole season of training and game time due to an injury. Fortunately, the latest innovations in regenerative medicine, like platelet-rich plasma (PRP), are changing the outcomes for injury recovery and can help injured NFL players return to the football field faster and with less risk of recurrent injuries.

What is PRP Therapy?

PRP or PLATELET-RICH PLASMA is a concentrated form of blood plasma from the patient’s own body (autologous). This platelet-rich plasma is packed with at least seven growth factors: D-epidermal growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, transforming growth factor-beta, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), fibroblast growth factor, insulin-like growth factor, and keratinocyte growth factor3.
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The growth factors help the body to accelerate healing of wounds and injuries, like a sprained knee or a torn ACL, or rotator cuff. PRP treatments typically contain five to ten times the concentration of platelets and growth factors normally found in whole blood.
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PRP can be used in conjunction with stem cell treatment to give a boost to stem cell processes, or it can be used as a stand-alone treatment. PRP acts as fuel for the stem cells. Sometimes, after a stem cell treatment Steven W. Meier, M.D. of Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine will inject PRP at one month intervals to “recharge” the stem cells which can remain active for 8-12 months. Learn more about stem cells in regenerative medicine, visit WebMD.com.

What to Expect During PRP Therapy?

The patient’s own blood is drawn and spun in a centrifuge to separate the plasma. This plasma is now concentrated with platelets and injected into the injured joint or tendon. As a stand-alone treatment PRP can help patients who have had little success with more traditional forms of treatment for chronic joint pain or a recurring injury.

A study published in the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine found that PRP regenerative medicine therapy helped improve recovery time and outcomes for acute hamstring injuries in NFL players. As a real-life example, in 2011, Cleveland Browns player Peyton Hillis was ruled out to play for a week after he suffered a hamstring injury, but after receiving PRP treatments he was re-evaluated and declared well enough to play earlier than anticipated.

How Does PRP Therapy Help Treat Orthopedic Injuries?

With platelet-rich plasma therapy, the platelets and growth factors are injected into the injured area, enhancing not only the nutrients in the area but bolstering the body’s ability to heal. For instance, many football players suffer from Achilles tendonitis or patellar tendonitis in the knee. With continued training and game play, these injuries can become chronic and lead to microscopic tearing of the tendon and formation of scar tissue, if left untreated.

Tendon injuries are difficult to treat and heal because of poor blood supply in the area. So, when there are microscopic tears or chronic scarring, the body has a difficult time repairing the damage. With regenerative medicine, like PRP therapy, the body gets a jumpstart on the healing process, which helps mitigate debilitating injury and/or scarring.

Recovery after PRP Therapy

Platelet-rich plasma therapy is an innovative technique, yet, the procedure itself can be completed in under an hour. Compared to a surgical procedure, the PRP technique is relatively simple. Once the blood sample has been processed for a higher concentration of growth factor-packed platelets, it’s injected at the site of the injury. Usually, it takes 3-5 PRP treatments to produce the most impressive outcomes.

For most injuries, PRP therapy can help facilitate recovery in six weeks—which is much less than recovery times associated with surgical procedures or with typical physical therapy, which can require a year or more. For NFL athletes looking for a quick return to the playing field, PRP therapy is certainly worth it.

The Benefits of Platelet-Rich Plasma

• Minimally invasive
• Reduced pain and swelling with treatment
• No serious side effects
• Efficient treatment
• Quick recovery

Your Choice for Regenerative Sports Medicine in Los Angeles

More and more professional athletes are looking to improve their recovery after sports injuries by receiving platelet-rich plasma injections. Beverly Hills orthopedic surgeon and regenerative medicine expert Steven W. Meier, M.D. and his team at Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine (MOSM) offer the latest in regenerative medicine treatments to treat sports-related injuries that can help professional and non-professional athletes avoid potentially damaging (and invasive) surgery.

To find out if your sports-related injury can be effectively treated with regenerative treatments, contact Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine today to schedule a consultation.

Next, read How Modern Medicine Has Helped Save Athletic Careers

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