Treating injury with growth factors
Written by:In a previous article I explained what are the growth factors, the plasma, the platelets ... and I already gave some vision about when this type of therapy can be used, a subject in which I go more deeply below.
At present, the administration of platelet-rich plasma (which in turn vehicles growth factors) has multiple indications in important pathologies, but the greatest effect is achieved when it has infiltrated within the first 48 hours after the injury:
- Fractures : help to increase the consolidation of the fractured bone.
- Chronic tendinitis : it is among the injuries that are most frequently treated with this therapy and with a higher rate of good results. I refer to injuries such as achilles tendinitis, plantar fasciitis and epicondylitis. Due to its capacity to revert in certain situations the local inflammatory phenomena and indirectly the pain.
- Muscular injuries : because in this case they accelerate the process of healing and repair of muscle tissue. It has been shown that the reappearance of an athlete can be shortened between 5 and 7 days, in addition to preventing future breaks and experiencing less pain, thanks to this type of treatment.
- Degenerative joint injuries : this is the indication with less scientific evidence, but pain relief and improved joint function are achieved. The results are encouraging because of the faculty of growth factors to stimulate tissue synthesis, from the injured articular cartilage and the synovial membrane that internally covers the joint capsule. At this point I must warn that tissues that have been infiltrated with corticosteroids, have a worse initial response to treatment.
