VIP treatment

Celebrity athletes such as Kobe Bryant have received platelet-rich plasma injection therapy for sports injuries, and UF students can also access to this regenerative therapy at the UF Student Health Care Center. Platelet-rich plasma injection therapy attempts to heal and strengthen tendons and ligaments using the body’s own blood plasma. When injected into the damaged area, the plasma stimulates the tendon or ligament, causing mild inflammation that triggers healing. “It’s not for everybody, but its cutting-edge medicine that may work when other treatment options have failed,” said Guy Nicolette, M.D., director of the UF Sports Medicine Fellowship, interim director of the UF Student Health Care Center and a team physician for UF athletics. The UF Student Health Care Center began offering the service in 2010 when traditional therapies were not proving successful and evidence emerged supporting this new form of therapy. Since then, the center has treated more than 100 patients with platelet-rich plasma injection therapy.