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Article Summary:  
Recovering from cartilage, tendon, or a muscle injury is normally remedied by rest, physiotherapy, and sometimes surgery.
For athletes, especially those playing at the elite level, recovery time is a factor. Pro athletes are paid to perform, and missing time with injury equates to a bad return on the team owner’s investment.
Recuperating from an injury quickly isn’t as crucial for amateur athletes or weekend warriors, but no one likes to sit on the sidelines in pain all the same.
That’s why alternative paths to recovery and rehabilitation are gaining momentum in the athletic world, particularly platelet rich plasma injections (PRP therapy) and stem cell therapy.
The practice of PRP therapy and similar regenerative medicine was banned in pro sports by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), in fear of performance-enhancing effects. That ban was lifted in 2011 when no evidence was found, resulting in more and more athletes taking advantage of their therapeutic ...