In the past decade, the demand of performance from elite athletes has risen drastically. This demand brought about more injuries, in turn increasing the demand for quicker recovery times from surgery or from an acute injury in these top athletes. Doctors have discovered what they believe to be a helpful solution to the problem, Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections (PRP). These injections are to be administered directly into an athlete’s injured tendon. PRP is a process that essentially separates your blood through bone marrow, leaving part of it extremely strong. However, the reasons for the strength are due to it coming from the patient’s stem cells, bringing non positive attention to this new age treatment. Because this stronger, platelet-rich plasma contains your own IGF-1, which is a growth factor that helps you heal. The platelet-rich portion of the blood can be injected back into the body directly at the site of the injury, with the intent of a faster recovery time. What is to be determined is if the PRP injections work well enough to become a standard treatment method and if this treatment is morally acceptable.
Tendon disorders and injuries comprise 30% to 50% of all activity-related injuries; chronic degenerative tendon disorders (tendinopathy) occur frequently and are difficult to treat (Vos 144). What PRP does is release the growth factor into the degenerative tendons while intentionally inflaming your muscles and tendons, to encourage healing. In an experiment conducted by Doctor Vos and his colleagues, they examined whether a PRP injection would actually improve the outcome in chronic mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy. The control group was given a placebo while the others were given the PRP injections. At the conclusio...
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Achilles tendinopathy and its contributing pathologies has been a heavily researched topic throughout multiple professions. Although a unified consensus and classification on the underlying pathology is yet to be reached, a shift from the term tendinitis to tendinosis has slowly been adopted, and is now believed to follow a continuum. Previous incorrect belief of an inflammatory pathophysiology has lead to the development of treatment options that are inappropriate and unsuccessful, leaving the tendon unable to adequately heal or strengthen increasing its risk of repetitive re-injury and the development of chronic Achilles tendinopathy. As a result an understanding of the pathophysiology, its effect on lower limb function and biomechanical risk factors contributing to the development of Achilles tendinopathy need to be considered when developing a rehabilitation program to coincide with new research and to address the underlying degeneration and failed healing of the tendon.
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Throughout this essay five points have been presented which highlighted what Erythropoietin is, how it works, what its benefits are compared to its potential side effects and its overall use in professional sport. Its function as a red blood cell producer and regulator are essential to ensure that our muscles, organs and brain have enough oxygen and nutrients flowing into it at all times. The invention of an artificial version of Erythropoietin has ensured a viable treatment for some conditions but has also opened up the possibly of unethical use in sports. The health risks incurred with use of r-HuEPO especially in the long term mean that its risks far outweigh any minor perceived benefit for athletes and as such should only be used for prescribed medical reasons.
Repair after a muscle is damaged happens through the division of certain cells who then fuse to existing, undamaged muscle fibers to correct the damage. Different muscle types take different amounts of time to heal and regenerate after it has been damaged. Smooth muscle cells can regenerate with the greatest capacity due to their ability to divide and create many more cells to help out. While cardiac muscle cells hardly regenerate at all due to the lack of specialized cells that aid in repair and regeneration. In skeletal muscle, satellite cells aid in helping restoration after injury. Along with muscles, tendons are very important structures within the human body, and they to can be damaged. However, tendon repair involves fibroblast cells cross-linking collagen fibers that aid in not only reinforcing structural support, but also mechanical support as well (“Understanding Tendon Injury,” 2005). While quite different from muscle repair, tendon repair involves the similarity of reestablishing d...
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Recovering from an injury can indeed be a difficult process and athletes must wait for however long in able to play the sport again. During that duration of time, the idea of waiting and not performing can sometimes cause an athlete to feel angry, to be in denial, and