18 Jun Hines Ward receives PRP to his knee before becoming super bowl MVP!
Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver Hines Ward did in fact have a platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatment. This was confirmed by BloodCure.com late Monday. He was apparently treated with PRP for a medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain. The specific form of PRP has yet to be declared but it is apparent that he was treated with plasma that contained an increased concentration of platelets. This by the definition proposed by Dr. Marx, is indeed platelet rich plasma.
Previously, PRP has been used to treat the same injury in major league soccer players. On the second play of the game, Mr. Ward caught a 38 yard pass and contributed significantly to the Steelers’ Super Bowl win. Injuries can impact a player causing them to stay off the field for the reason of the season. This could be disheartening for those who enjoy the game, especially if they have a fantasy football team from somewhere like FanDuel.
The reporting on the novel treatment by NBC just prior to his important catch was excellent timing. Good work! For more information about PRP, please visit: PRPGraft.com
Natural medicine provides the edge for NFL players to overcome potentially career-ending injuries. Over this past weekend, all sport fans that tuned into the NFL’s season finale of the Super Bowl were treated to an epic football game between two great franchises: the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals. Ultimately, the game was decided in the closing minutes of the last quarter, highlighting the incredible athleticism our modern day football heroes must maintain under the grueling physical nature of the sport.
Football players must endure punishing hits like a battering ram while sustaining the dexterity of a ballerina to maintain possession – just like the winning touchdown catch of this year’s Super Bowl by Santonio Holmes of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It is no surprise that several of our greatest athletes play thru injuries to compete at such high levels of sport, and any advantage that can be found in the healing process must be utilized to support the endeavor to compete.
It was with great joy that Hines Ward was able to play for the game on Sunday, and even more interesting to find the team physicians used a technique commonly used in natural medicine today, called prolotherapy, in order for Hines to participate in the Super Bowl.
During the AFC Championship Game, Hines Ward, suffered a knee injury that potentially could have ended his chances of competing two weeks later in the Super Bowl. Many fans inside and outside football recognize the importance of Hines Ward, both to team leadership and to community stewardship – for Ward is one of the more widely recognized athletes in sports today due to his exemplary conduct both on and off the field (not to mention his award-winning smile). With the help of prolotherapy, this on and off the field champion was quickly and safely brought to game playing status with the rapid results that this natural medicine technique provides.
Prolotherapy is a simple, natural technique used to stimulate the body to repair an injury to a ligament or tendon when the natural healing process needs a little assistance. In Hines’ case, he needed a lot of assistance to return from a serious knee injury to top form within two weeks to compete at the Super Bowl, therefore it was important to stimulate the healing process in both a sound and expedient manner. In general practice many naturopathic physicians will use the method for arthritis and degenerated joints, for Hines, this technique was perfectly suited to assist the healing process for an injured knee.
The joints of our body must absorb or withstand tremendous forces with any activity, whether competing in the Super Bowl or in a supermarket parking lot with a bundle of this week’s groceries. Joint integrity is dependent upon the strength and elasticity of the ligaments and tendons, which by nature are like rubber bands. Compared to muscle or nerve tissue, the connective tissue has a limited blood supply and depends upon this blood supply for distribution of nutrients to repair and heal properly. As a result, tendons and ligaments heal more slowly and often become weak lacking their original strength and endurance. Not with prolotherapy.
Prolotherapy takes the root name from the word “proliferation,” because the treatment triggers the proliferation or growth of new connective tissue at the site of injury. Prolotherapy utilizes solutions like dextrose, chemotactic compounds, or in Ward’s case PRP or platelet therapy, which is injected into the injured ligament or tendon to create a localized inflammatory reaction. This localized immune reaction increases the blood supply and flow of nutrients to the connective tissue, which in turn increases the rate of healing with no loss of tissue integrity.
Prolotherapy results in improved circulation to the injured area while initiating a deposition of new collagen, an essential material of ligaments and tendons (collagen is what gives the skeletal structure of children the strength and dexterity we don’t enjoy as we age into adulthood). As the new collagen tightens, the ligament or tendon gains strength – especially at the site of injury where it is needed most. The beauty of prolotherapy rests in the utilization of a simple sugar like dextrose to stimulate the same process that the human body naturally uses to heal itself.
Most of us are not professional athletes, however, prolotherapy can be widely used to assist the general public for muscle tears, arthritis, tennis elbow (tendonitis), back pains, every day aches and sprains, degenerated joints, torn ligaments… just to name a few. Naturopathic physicians and osteopathic physicians commonly use the technique of prolotherapy to assit the healing process and to avoid unnecessary medications and surgical procedures.
So for the rest of us, prolotherapy is a cost effective, safe, and natural approach to healing joints and connective tissue, which can help us all to compete in our regularly scheduled, daily challenges to strive, thrive and provide for ourselves, our families, and our communities. The ability to know how to effectively heal the body, without undue stress, is much greater and no less important than Hines Ward’s remarkable recovery for this year’s Super Bowl.
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