Why Isn’t This Healing?
Sometimes, however, the healing process does not work correctly and instead of forming healthy collagen fibers and scar tissue that develops in its place.
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Scar tissue is unorganized collagen, whether too thick, too thin, or improperly oriented. Low blood flow to the area can increase the risk of scar tissue. Scar tissue hampers proper blood flow as new capillaries and other small blood vessels cannot form through scar tissue to provide blood flow to the injured area. The new development of small blood vessels is called “angiogenesis” or “neovascularization”.
When scarred or disorganized tissue inhibits this process the blood flow to the area becomes “blocked”. This means that the tissue will never really have the opportunity to heal correctly. That is why sometimes ligament and tendon injuries heal and other times they do not. That appears to be where Jerryd Bayless is at the moment.
Prolonged soreness in the wrist suggests that some scar tissue is forming. His willingness to attempt PRP suggests that the pain is both significant and sustained. Surgery is one option: where the surgeon removes scar tissue, fuses ends of the healthy tissue, and allows the body to rebuild and heal by immobilizing the joint.
For now, the option for surgery appears to be at the same priority as “break in case of emergency” fire alarms.
But what is PRP? And why here, and why now?