Super Concentrated Platelet therapy for elbow pain

Updated on February 3, 2021

At least once during our daily routines, acute or chronic muscle or joint pain might have stopped us from doing our work. Pain in the elbow can be deliberating and can significantly affect the range of motion of the hand. Although elbow injuries are commonly seen in athletes, they can even occur in ordinary people while performing regular chores in everyday life. Excessive pressure on the elbow muscles and lifting heavy objects can cause pain in the elbow. Golfers, tennis players, baseball players, and boxers are some of the sportspersons affected by elbow injuries. 

Overuse of the elbow due to regular sports activities, such as tennis and golf, can cause sprains, strains, tendonitis, dislocations, and can even develop a degenerative condition like arthritis. An excessive pressure or leaning on the elbow, desk work, playing racquet sports, or local trauma can result in elbow pain. 

Our elbow joint is formed where the three bones, the humerus, the ulna, and the radius, come together. The tendons connect the bones to the muscle and allow free movement of the arm in different directions. When the elbow muscles and ligaments get stretched or torn, they result in strain and sprain, respectively. 

In some chronic injury cases, conservative treatment options, such as pain relievers, steroid injections, and surgery might not heal the condition. Although over-the-counter anti-inflammatory and pain medications might reduce the elbow pain, they cannot address the underlying medical condition. Such medicines can only be a temporary pain relief provider to carry out the regular tasks. 

Also, braces and elbow padding might subside the pain for a specific time but might not completely resolve the problem. Some of the body parts like ligaments and tendons have poor healing capacity with conservative treatments. Athletes have to take their time off from sports coaching to combat pain and heal the injury. This shows a significant impact on their sports career. 

Over the past decade, regenerative therapies for orthopedic problems have been an effective non-surgical treatment option to avoid the need for surgery. Stem cell therapy and super concentrated platelet (SCP) therapy repair the damaged tissue and regenerate a healthy one without surgery. Stem cell therapy for orthopedic injuries is an advanced minimally-invasive treatment option that is carried out with the stem cells harvested from the patient’s bone marrow. After receiving stem cells in the affected area, a shot of SCP is given to boost stem cells’ work. SCP injections contain healing growth factors that aid in faster healing and recovery. 

Minimally-invasive therapy for elbow conditions 

The use of concentrated platelets to treat elbow injuries is the most advanced non-surgical treatment that repairs the damaged tissue and helps in faster recovery. Our blood platelets contain healing growth factors that work at the injury site and repair the tissue at a cellular level. Renowned experts in the field of interventional orthopaedics utilize biological cells to treat orthopaedic pain without surgery. The doctors who carry out regenerative treatments are specially trained to carry out the process. 

Some of the common elbow conditions treated with super-concentrated platelet (SCP) therapy are: 

Lateral epicondylitis or tennis elbow is a condition that affects the tendons of the outer elbow. Playing racquet sports and people in specific professions like plumbers, painters, and carpenters are affected by this condition. 

Medial epicondylitis or golfer’s elbow affects the inner tendons in the elbow and can trigger pain. Repetitive hand motion, such as swinging or throwing motion involved in a baseball game, can cause pain inside the elbow. 

Osteoarthritis of the elbow is a condition where the cartilage (connective tissue) undergoes wear and tear. The cartilage tissue gets damaged and causes pain in the elbow joint. It is identified by the symptoms, such as pain, swelling, difficulty in bending the elbow, and a grinding sound while moving the elbow. 

Ligament problems in the elbow joint can occur due to repeated stress or trauma. The ligament can either be stretched, partially torn or completely torn due to the repeated stress. It causes pain, swelling, instability, and reduced range of motion. 

Super concentrated platelet (SCP) therapy for elbow pain is the most effective non-surgical treatment option for eliminating elbow pain without an incision on the skin. Super concentrated platelet (SCP) therapy is effective in relieving elbow pain resulting from sports injuries. Tennis elbow is the most commonly seen in sportspeople who play racquet sports, such as tennis and badminton. However, this condition is not restricted to those who play racquet sports and can happen to anyone. Receiving growth factor injections to the affected elbow joint helps ease the pain, reduce swelling, and improve the range of motion.  

SCP is a minimally-invasive, non-surgical procedure that is done as a same-day, outpatient treatment. A sample of blood is drawn from the patient’s vein in the arm and concentrated in a laboratory to obtain high platelet concentrated plasma. By centrifugation, the platelets are separated from red and white blood cells in a laboratory. 

The obtained plasma is concentrated for further clinical use. Super concentrated platelet therapy is 15-20 times concentrated, whereas the regular PRP concentration is 2 to 3 times. Platelets have healing growth factors that act at the injury site to provide pain relief and reduce inflammation. SCP accelerates the recovery from an elbow injury and improves elbow function. 

Advanced treatments with faster recovery and rehabilitation 

Surgery for musculoskeletal problems requires extended periods of recovery and rehabilitation that significantly impact the range of motion. SCP procedure for elbow pain is the same-day, outpatient procedure that does not require a hospital stay. With the SCP procedure, the patient requires minimal to no downtime for recovery. The pain relief begins from a few weeks of receiving platelets. 

The symptoms continue to gradually improve where a person can regain strength in the elbow joint. With proper care and physiotherapy, one can achieve faster recovery and significant improvement in elbow pain. The patients who received SCP will respond favorably and can experience an improvement within four to six weeks of receiving platelet injections. 

The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.