Injuries and damage to large joints in underage athletes. Therapy with platelet-rich plasma. A clinical case

Introduction. Approximately 46% of large joint injuries involve damage to the knee joint, among which anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries account for about 15–24% in children and adolescents. In order to reduce the likelihood of long-term complications after injuries in underage professional athletes, shorten the rehabilitation period, and enable a quicker return to elite sports, innovative regenerative medicine technologies should be implemented into clinical practice, including the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP). In comparison with other conservative treatment methods, PRP offers several advantages. Being an orthobiological agent, PRP is a biological substance derived from the patient’s own body, promoting accelerated regeneration with minimal risk of side effects. When performed correctly, this procedure shows minimal invasiveness and does not lead to complications. Although PRP therapy is widely used in treating diseases and injuries of large joints in adult patients, the application of this therapeutic method in underage athletes has not been sufficiently studied, which is the focus of this study.

Case report. We present a clinical case of a professional athlete with a knee joint injury, assessing the functional and clinical outcomes of PRP therapy. Two standardized methods for PRP application are demonstrated, highlighting the advantages of a closed-loop PRP preparation system. These include minimized exposure to the external environment, mitigating potential risks of infection, and reduced consumption of materials, enhancing cost-effectiveness. The described clinical case of an ACL injury in a junior athlete, with complete functional and structural recovery (as confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging, MRI), demonstrated the efficacy, safety, and good tolerability of PRP therapy. Positive outcomes were observed both clinically (regression of pain assessed via the visual analog scale, restoration of joint function, and positive dynamics in provocative tests such as the Lachman test and anterior drawer test) and through MRI data.

Conclusions. The use of PRP therapy for ACL injuries in underage professional athletes represents a promising therapeutic approach in orthopedics and sports medicine, utilizing regenerative medicine technologies. The closed-loop system for PRP preparation offers several advantages over open-loop systems, including cost-effectiveness due to minimized consumption of medical supplies. The safety of the method is ensured provided that the procedural requirements are met (asepsis, antisepsis, ultrasound guidance, etc.); the high sensitivity of MRI in tracking the dynamics of ACL injuries is confirmed.

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