Hamstring injuries seem to be a plague for NFL wide receivers this season, especially for the Cowboy’s wide receiver Miles Austin. Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin didn’t practice on Wednesday according to a report by ESPN's Todd Archer, due to a hamstring injury he has been battling this season. He is not expected to play against the New Orleans Saints in Week 10 and is listed as doubtful for the game.
It should come as no surprise that typical conservative treatments of hamstring injuries involve at least part of the RICE protocol, which includes rest, ice, compression and elevation along with the judicious use of cortisone injections. Although some of these treatment components do indeed help with muscle injuries, they do nothing to help heal the ligaments and tendons involved. However, there is a treatment that can be used to accelerate the healing process of the ligaments and tendons involved in this type of injury!
According to a recent study “Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), has emerged as a safe, effective treatment for several orthopedic pathologies. [In this study] the authors propose a PRP injection at the muscle origin as a novel treatment for proximal hamstring injuries. . . .A retrospective review yielded 15 patients with 17 proximal hamstring injuries. Twelve injuries failed traditional conservative treatment and were ultimately treated with a PRP injection at the hamstrings muscle origin. The PRP group showed significant improvement, the conservative treatment group did not.”
The wonderful aspect of this type of treatment is not only can it be performed within a doctor’s office, rather than a hospital setting, but that this treatment avoids invasive surgical procedures that may require weeks if not months of physical therapy rehabilitation afterwards. In addition, PRP treatment is performed under ultrasound guidance, which allows for accurate needle placement.
So if you or a loved one desire a non-invasive procedure with minimal to no risk, or have questions about this type of treatment I invite you to inquire more about it at my office, Cross Bay Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation P.C., located in Howard Beach, New York. Dr. Benjamin Bieber of Cross Bay PMR has been treating patients with non-surgical orthopedic techniques in Queens, Brooklyn and NYC for over 25 years. We are excited to offer PRP Injections and Adult Stem Cell Therapy to the tri-state area.