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I heard Tiger Woods had some kind of blood treatment for his ACL injury. Is this something that's available for anyone or just celebrities with lots of money? If there's something out there that could help my ACL (besides surgery), I'm all interested.

Anything that has to do with Tiger Woods is always hot news. So when he did receive a treatment of blood injection (his own blood) following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery, the media picked right up on it. Platelet-rich plasma or PRP is the clear portion of blood (plasma) with the blood clotting platelets. It is taken from the patient so doesn't require blood donors. The growth factors contained within the platelets enhance the body’s natural ability to heal itself. PRP is used to improve healing and shorten recovery time from acute and chronic soft tissue injuries. It has been used for years after plastic surgery and surgery on the mouth, jaw, and neck. It seems to promote bone graft healing. Researchers have found a way to combine this substance with other chemicals to make it into a putty or gel that can be painted on a surgical site to speed up healing. Blood injection therapy of this type has been used for knee osteoarthritis, degenerative cartilage, spinal fusion, bone fractures that don’t heal, and poor wound healing. This treatment technique is fairly new in the sports medicine treatment of musculoskeletal problems, but gaining popularity quickly. Although very popular with some medical experts, the use of platelet-rich plasma is still considered highly controversial. There just isn't enough scientific evidence yet to offer clear treatment guidelines for who, how, when, and why to use this treatment. You may be a good candidate but your orthopedic surgeon would have to be the one to evaluate you and make that determination.

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