Athletes Agree: Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy Successfully Treats Chronic Achilles Tendonitis and Other Ankle Injuries
Beverly Hills PRP makes reliable and reproducible high concentrations of platelet -rich plasma
Beverly Hills. CA (PRWEB) August 06, 2012
Like professional athletes, many Olympic contenders have found that Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy relieves pain and speeds healing. Their stories have brought attention to the use of PRP to treat heel and ankle pain caused by chronic disorders like Achilles tendonitis and retrocalcaneal bursitis. Dr. Bill J. Releford, doctor of podiatric medicine, finds PRP therapy beneficial in his practice treating these and other injuries.
Dr. Releford, medical director and founder of The Releford Foot and Ankle Institute, describes how he used PRP injections to treat an Olympic track and field hopeful. “After suffering an ankle injury, the patient was treated with a series of two injections of platelet-rich plasma over a four-week period. The most significant initial subjective findings showed reduced pain and moderate to significant increases in range of motion,” continues Dr. Releford. “The patient reported that she ran her best season after receiving PRP injections.”
About Achilles Tendonitis
Achilles tendonitis occurs when the Achilles tendon—the large band of tissues connecting the muscles in the back of the lower leg to the heel—becomes inflamed or irritated. Symptoms often develop gradually, and include pain and stiffness especially when first getting out of bed. Some people report a crackling or creaking sound at the site. Pain may lessen, or even disappear, upon activity. Once activity stops, however, pain returns and may increase. Athletes and others may develop Achilles tendonitis when they over-train.
About Retrocalcaneal Bursitis
Bursas are fluid-filled sacs located around most of the body’s large joints. A bursa acts as a cushion and lubricant between tendons and muscles sliding over bone. Retrocalcaneal bursitis is an inflammation of the bursa at the back of the heel bone under the Achilles tendon, where the calf muscles connect. Possible causes of retrocalcaneal bursitis include too much walking, running, or jumping. This condition is usually linked to Achilles tendonitis, and is sometimes mistaken for it. Athletes may develop retrocalcaneal bursitis after starting an aggressive workout schedule, or suddenly increasing activity without proper conditioning.
About Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy
PRP therapy is an innovative, non-surgical approach that uses healing components derived from a small, concentrated amount of a patient’s own blood. Injected into damaged tissue, PRP therapy has the potential to “supercharge” the healing process. PRP has been successfully used in orthopedics and sports medicine to treat joint and tendon pain, ankle sprains, heel pain, non-healing wounds, plantar fasciitis, poor circulation, diabetic neuropathy, and many other conditions, as cited in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research (Jan. 2006). Recently, PRP therapy has made headlines due to its successful use by professional athletes like Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Alex Rodriguez, and Rafael Nadal.
Dr. Bill J. Releford, D.P.M., a graduate of the Temple School of Podiatric Medicine in Philadelphia, began his practice in 1990 and established the Diabetic Foot Institute, a facility dedicated exclusively to the reduction of diabetes-related amputations in high-risk populations. Dr. Releford is recognized both domestically and internationally as a leader in the field of diabetic limb preservation and wound care. Dr. Releford uses Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy to treat foot injuries as well as chronic non-healing wounds.
Dr. Releford is an assistant professor at Charles R. Drew University and lectures worldwide about the latest techniques in limb salvage and community-based outreach. He authored the book “Five Colors A Day to Better Health,” and has been featured on “NBC Nightly News” with Brian Williams, ABC’s “The View,” and in The Washington Post, Newsweek, and The Los Angeles Times.
About The Releford Foot and Ankle Institute
The Releford Foot & Ankle Institute’s mission is to effectively decrease the diabetes-related amputation rate in Los Angeles and surrounding communities by providing comprehensive wound care and limb salvage services.
Dr. Releford’s community outreach and health-care advocacy efforts are facilitated through the Diabetic Amputation Prevention Foundation (DAP), a non-profit organization he founded in 2001. Its mission is to educate at-risk populations to better understand diabetes and its complications through community-based programs.
Dr. Releford and the DAP Foundation have been recognized for the success of the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program. Since its inception in December 2007, the program has screened over 25,000 men for diabetes and hypertension in more than 450 black-owned barbershops in over 26 cities
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