It’s no secret that regenerative medicine is making a name for itself at a rapid pace, which has professional athletes taking notice. Tiger Woods, PGA all-star, suffered a serious injury to his ACL in 2008. Because the ACL is responsible for rotational stability to the knee joint, damage to it can change the entire course of a golfer’s career. The downtime accompanying the injury and reconstruction is at minimum nine months. Woods was eager to get back to the game he loved, and decided to take a chance on regenerative medicine.
Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy, or PRP, is a commonly used treatment to bring strength back to injured ligaments and tendons. The goal is to isolate your body’s natural growth factors from the platelets to speed up the healing process as whole. It is non-invasive and requires little to no downtime, therefore, making it attractive to athletes looking to return to their sport as soon as possible.
Woods had a total of four injections in his left knee. The results blew his mind, which led him to utilize the same technique on his Achilles tendon shortly after. It didn’t take long for him to get back on top of his game. Within a year, the golf legend was awards Player of the Year, PGA Player of the year, and took the top 10 spot in over 14 tournaments.
Along with Tiger Woods, NBA star Kobe Bryan turned to PRP therapy to find his strength again. Most NBA basketball players see their careers depleting near the age of 30, but Bryant seemed to be an exception. Having arthritis in his right knee was a topic he chose to stay silent on, but it was obvious he wasn’t able to move quite like he used to. Instead of becoming another statistic, Bryant did something about it. After a trip to Germany in 2011, it became clear he felt more like himself. PRP worked miracles on his knee, making him “feel 27 years old again” says friend, and MLB infielder Alex Rodriguez.
Chronic pain can leave anyone feeling like they have hit rock bottom. When Tiger Woods was faced with a road to recovery looking to keep him off of the course for close to a year, he knew he had to do something more to get his life back- and fast. Success without surgery IS possible, and even some of the biggest athletes on the planet are taking notice.
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