As reported by Medical News Today, world-famous athletes Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal have experienced a new treatment that includes injections of platelet-enriched plasma. Proponents of therapy say that this is an ultramodern approach to the treatment of exhausting and prolonged injuries and diseases of the knees such as osteoarthritis.

Platelets in the blood, responsible for blood coagulation, also contain a large number of proteins, the so-called growth factors, which promote healing.

Therapy consists of additional enrichment of blood plasma with platelets, which is then injected into the injured area of ??the knee.

Studies have shown that platelet-enriched plasma can help with knee pain, and is effective for those to whom another way of treatment does not help.

Platelet-enriched plasma is useful for diseases such as osteoarthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as for injuries, injuries and stretchings of joints throughout the body, chronic pain in them.

Although researchers believe that growth factors play an important role in treatment, it remains unclear how exactly rich plasma platelets contribute to healing. The effect of therapy lasts, as a rule, several weeks. Some patients after single injections of therapy are no longer required.

Despite the fact that plasma treatment is a relatively new method of treatment, preliminary studies show that it can be very effective. After six months of therapy, all the volunteers with degenerative cartilage lesions underwent the pain.

Most studies have not found side effects, and suggest that platelet-enriched plasma is safe than invasive alternative joint surgery, particularly on the knees. Because injections include human own blood, allergic or other adverse reactions are absent.

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