Ankle sprains are one of the most common sports-related foot and ankle injuries. They can be painful and debilitating and keep an athlete off the court or the field for an extended time. Healing as quickly, safely, and effectively as possible and getting back in the game is priority number one for any athlete sidelined with an ankle sprain.
Fortunately, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy can kickstart and turbocharge the body’s natural repair processes and help sports-related ankle injuries heal quicker than ever before, without the need for invasive surgery.
What is PRP Therapy For Ankle Sprains?
When we suffer an injury to soft tissue, such as an ankle sprain, our body’s initial response is to rush platelet cells to the affected tissue. That’s because platelets are not only the clotting cells of our blood, but they also contain powerful healing factors that get to work repairing injured tissue and providing assistance to stem cells in damaged muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
PRP therapy involves taking that natural process and supercharging it. The treatment is safe, simple, fast, and essentially pain-free. We start by taking a sample of the patient’s blood and then place that sample in a centrifuge where we separate the platelets and their healing and growth factors from the other elements of the blood. Dr. Ceballos injects those growth factors right into your sprained ankle or injured area where these specialized cells jumpstart repair and healing, dividing and building new tissue.
Since PRP therapy uses your own blood rather than blood from a donor, there is no risk of transmissible infection. The non-surgical treatment typically takes only a few hours, including preparation, injection, and recovery. No anesthesia is needed, nor is any significant recovery time involved. PRP therapy can be done independently, but is often performed in conjunction with traditional treatments such as bracing, taping, compression, and physical therapy.
PRP therapy is an increasingly attractive option for treating sports-related ankle sprains because it works and is safer, cheaper, and less burdensome than surgery, steroid injections, or other traditional approaches. But what makes it most appealing for athletes is the accelerated healing time. PRP therapy can take what would otherwise be a six-week recovery period for a torn ligament from an ankle sprain and deduce that to two or three weeks.
Schedule an Appointment at OrthoMiami Today To Learn More About How PRP Therapy Can Help You With Sports-Related Ankle Sprains
At OrthoMiami, we work with athletes and sports-minded patients every day. We know how badly they want to get back to the activities they love after they’ve suffered an ankle sprain or other injury. That is why we are committed to using the most advanced and effective methods to relieve pain and restore mobility to patients as quickly as possible, including using PRP therapy when indicated. The OrthoMiami team always welcomes new patients and can generally schedule new patient appointments within a couple of days.
Please contact us today at (305) 596-2828 to schedule your appointment. We look forward to meeting you.