Six weeks after her PRP Therapy for tennis elbow, Beth Musick has returned to a normal routine.  "I stopped babying it," she said. 

"My elbow gets a little better each day.  I played tennis twice this week, golfed two times and also hit golf balls at the driving range.

"My elbow is much better, though not perfect."  

Concerned because her elbow was good one day, and not so much the next, Beth contacted another player who had undergone the therapy in Massachusetts.  His results were very similar to hers.

"He told me that it takes a few days to recharge after playing, and that he has a moderate degree of soreness, stiffness, stinging and burning which he tries to alleviate with icing. 

"Like me, he had two cortisone shots prior to undergoing the PRP injection which he believes may have done irreparable damage."

Cortisone shots mask the pain of tennis elbow for varying periods of time, depending on the individual.  Because the damage to the tendon may continue but a player doesn't feel it, most doctors do not recommend multiple steroid injections.

Beth's contact in Massachusetts said he is convinced that the PRP therapy got him back on the court.  He is back playing but just not as much as he used to play.  In an email exchange, he told her: "In February I couldn't even zip my coat up.  I had the therapy in March.  Right now, at least I don't feel like the elbow is going to blow up.  I don't dread seeing the ball coming toward me.  Poorly hit balls, overheads, some serves and one handed backhands still hurt but I can at least play."

Beth also contacted a regional sales rep from Harvest Technologies.  In an email exchange, he told her that "the feedback I have received so far is that the recovery process is not completely linear.  Some days you will feel good and others you may not."

According to the representative's email: 

• [Patients] may experience the roller coaster syndrome where you feel great one day and for no apparent reason the area treated starts to hurt again, this is normal in the healing process
• The platelets are active for 6 weeks and it can take up to 6 months for normal collagen to form and heal completely
• Our goal is 80% improvement in pain, so you may or may not need more than 1 treatment to reach that goal.  Sometimes a series of 2 -3 injections are needed to achieve complete healing. If subsequent treatments are needed they are usually performed 6 – 8 weeks apart.
  

Given her progress to date,  Beth is glad that she tried the therapy.  The alternative - surgery - is an option that she would only consider as "last resort", as it would mean giving up court time for possibly several months.   And right now, she is able to play, for the most part, free of the debilitating pain she suffered beforehand.

If you are reading this article, you may still wonder:  Will it work for me?  

Beth's results 6 weeks into the healing process may not be iron clad-proof of the therapy's effectiveness.  But it seems reasonable to say that given the proliferation of articles on the subject, that more and more athletes are undergoing the treatment and it appears to be on its way to becoming an accepted therapy for the treatment of chronic tennis elbow.   

Stay tuned........we'll check back with our "patient" to update progress at 6 months.

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*This article is provided for informational purposes only and does  not  constitute medical advice, a recommendation or endorsement of any particular procedure or product and should not be used as a substitute for medical advise from your physician.  Please consult your physician for a specific treatment plan for tennis elbow or any other procedure.