SPORT INJURY HEALING WITH PLASMA INJECTIONS

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PLATELET-RICH PLASMA THERAPY  FOR SPORT INJURIES

Platelet-rich  therapy is now being used by doctors treating professional soccer and football stars and is also very effective for recreational athletes.  It is straightforward and easy to perform and improves the treatment of stubborn injuries as tennis elbow and knee tendonitis.

Portions of your own blood are directly injected into the injured area.  It catalyzes the body’s instinct to repair muscle, bone, and other injured tissues.  It regenerates ligament and tendon fibers and shortens rehabilitation time and often makes surgery unnecessary.

It is an attractive course of treatment for both medical and financial reasons.  It is a great option for problems that have no real solutions.  Soon  it may revolutionize sports medicine and all orthopedics.

Orthopedics has been working for decades on the mechanical effects of healing, looking for the strongest sutures to anchor their tears with mixed results.  This  approach has great promise.

METHOD USED

Patient’s own blood is drawn and placed in a centrifuge that rotates at a high speed, separating the red blood cells from the platelets, releasing proteins and other particles.  A teaspoon of the remaining plasma is injected into the damaged area.  The plasma concentration is 3-10 times that of normal blood.  It is injected in areas  poor in blood supply and delivers its platelet healing instincts and stimulated wound healing.  It works well in areas that don’t have much blood as ligaments and tendons. 

Dr,  vanOsch in the Netherlands,  a pioneer researcher,  calls it a growth factor cocktail.   There is little chance for rejection or allergic reaction because the substance comes from your own body.  It leaves no scar and there is virtually no chance of infection.

TESTIMONIALS

 Los Angles Dodger’s team physician used the procedure on pitcher Takashi Saito on a partially torn lunar collateral ligament.  It was very successful.  He finds it helps in 25% of his cases.  Others think it is ineffective in 20%-40% of cases depending on the injury and costs $2000.  Insurance companies may see this treatment as a first option before surgery.

Pittsburg Steelers  biggest stars, Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu had the treatment before winning the Super Bowl.   Ward had a strained calf and Polamalu had a sprained medial collateral ligament.   Both were injected with a form of PRP, called autologous conditioned plasma, with different proportion of platelets and other cells. 

Dr. Sarnacki, your Webmaster Dr.Needles, at the Acupuncture Institute of Michigan, has been using a variation of the procedure for 8 years by injecting the patient’s whole blood into the injured site followed by acupuncture into the injured sites with great results.  He calls it a Blood Patch, a procedure  used in treatment of  spinal headaches.  The acupuncture spreads the plasma healing factors and helps healing within 1-2 weeks. 

COMMENTARY

 

Doctors find the procedure is worth pursuing.  This procedure is very effective and may soon be available to the amateur weekend athlete who want to just get back to work or maintain their recreational and healthy lifestyles.

Sources:

 New York Times, Palm Beach Post 2.17.09

Dr. Sarnacki, http://www.americanacupuncture.com

Dr. Neal  ElAttrache, LA team physician

Dr. Gerjo van Osch, Erasmus Med. Center, Netherlands

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