An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear is one of the most common knee injuries suffered by athletes involved in high-intensity sports like soccer, football, and basketball. Based on the anatomy of the knee, a torn ACL can cause excruciating, debilitating pain and an extensive recovery process. Unfortunately, data shows that the prevalence of ACL tears has been on the rise in younger athletes for the past 20 years. Fortunately, surgeons like Dr. Bennett of Bennett Orthopedics and Sportsmedicine are perfecting the use of PRP to overcome these injuries and trigger deep, natural healing.

ACL Tears More Prevalent in Young Patients

According to a study recently completed by the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, patients under the age of 18 are sustaining more ACL tears than ever before. Dr. Nicholas A. Beck, who led the study, used data from a large metropolitan insurance network to uncover that the rate of ACL tears increased 2.2 percent per year in male patients and 2.5 percent in female patients since 1993. While patients between the ages of 6 and 14 remained at lower risk, males and females between 14 and 17 stood the highest chances of suffering ACL damage.

Since the cruciate ligaments cross with each other inside the knee joint to form an X, one torn ligament results in the knee joint becoming completely unstable. Without proper rehabilitation and recovery, this injury can also accelerate the development of arthritis in the knee. Given all of this, Beck’s findings are very significant for the orthopedic surgeons responsible for healing ACL injuries in young patients and helping them return to their favorite sports.

Using PRP To Stimulate Deep Natural Healing

As more orthopedic surgeons find themselves working with young athletes under the age of 18, it is important to utilize regenerative techniques that give young patients the best chances of long term healing. Platelet rich plasma (PRP) has become one of the most trusted ways to heal knee injuries and accelerate healing after ligament reconstruction surgery, which is exactly why Dr. Bennett of Bennett Orthopedics and Sports Medicine offers customized PRP treatments to help patients heal from their ACL injuries.

PRP therapy accelerates and enhances the natural healing process by utilizing the platelets naturally found in a patient’s blood. Platelets carry critical growth factors that direct tissue healing and minimize inflammation. When blood is drawn and then spun in a centrifuge, the blood platelets become concentrated up to 8 times the normal level. By then suspending these concentrated platelets in blood plasma, the platelets can be injected directly into the injury site, guided by ultrasound, to deliver a super-charged healing solution.  

Dr. Bennett has spent nearly a decade supplementing ACL reconstruction surgeries with PRP injections. Results indicate that ACL surgeries with PRP generate healing up to 60 percent faster than surgeries without PRP. This means that PRP is the ultimate solution to help young athletes heal from their ACL tears as quickly and efficiently as possible.