3/11/10 Battling severe arthritis, Charlotte Marsden had a total knee replacement scheduled for last September. The pain was so bad that Marsden, 61, couldn’t endure walking on concrete floors or on the beach near her Cape May, N.J. home. In a last-ditch effort to avoid surgery, she tried an increasingly popular procedure – platelet-rich plasma therapy, which included injections of her own concentrated platelets, protein-releasing bodies that help heal wounds.
Now, after the platelet therapy, Marsden, says she can again work in her garden, climb steps, ride a bike – and walk anywhere. Platelet injections also eased the pain in her shoulder and big toe.
“I’m pain-free after 15 to 20 years of suffering,” she says.
The platelet-rich plasma therapy, or PRP, procedure takes a small amount of a patient’s blood and rotates it in a centrifuge to separate red blood cells from platelets. Then the concentrated platelets are re-injected into the damaged area – elbows, knees, shoulders, hips and Achilles tendons. The platelets release growth factors that theoretically help the tissue recover, with the patients ideally improving within a few weeks.
Physicians report that the demand for PRP has soared after pro golfer Tiger Woods received injections to accelerate healing after knee surgery. And two Pittsburgh Steelers, Troy Polamalu and Hines Ward, had the procedure before the team’s Super Bowl victory in 2009.
But despite such positive personal stories and high-profile successes, some orthopaedic surgeons remain cautious about the spread of PRP, saying that not enough substantial research has been done on its effects to push it widely.
A study published in January in the Journal of the American Medical Association, for example, one of the first rigorous tests of this technique, found that PRP injections were no better than placebo shots of salt water for patients with Achilles tendinopathy, a condition that causes pain just above the heel bone.
“It’s clearly hyped too much,” says Stephen C. Weber, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon in Sacramento, Calif.
But others have embraced PRP, saying science simply hasn’t caught up to what they are seeing in their patients.
Platelet-rich plasma therapy represents “the beginning of a seismic change in orthopaedics,” says Rocco Monto, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon in West Tisbury, Mass. “Most of my colleagues have dipped their toes in the water and are finding early success.”
This week, the debate will likely intensify as the results of four new studies are presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) in New Orleans. The research at the AAOS conference includes three studies that show more promising results.
any Dr's who use ultra-sound as well in South Florida-Miami to Palm Beach area's
thanks..
Dr. Thomashefsky, Ashland Oregon (near Medford) and Santa Barbara is doing this platelet injection treatment.
http://www.drtom.net/
Thanks,
Kevin Maines
This was successful. I'm full of osteoHave stenosis and siactica etc. Osto began years ago.
Injections into my spine didn't bring relief. My hardware in the spine has not moved. It was checked with a mylogram. The nerves in my legs are now being effected and I'm walking with a cane. This makes me very unsteady at times and stairs are awful.
Are these new injections been tried with spinal problems?
Thanks
One of my other tennis player friends had a rare clavicle injury treated as well as her back. It has taken them a while to figure out the back, but have recently given her relief from her long time pain.
If you are in the midwest, you can contact craneclinic.com for treatment. They are very honest about whether they think you can be helped. They are now also using bone marrow in addition to PRP and fat.
That's interesting and in my opinion not the best placebo for this trial. As effective as is not the same as not effective. Maybe saline solution has a healing effect on the tissue.
There is anecdotal evidence for relief of discogenic pain by PrP and other biosupplementation such as stem cell therapy. I personally do not do spine procedures, but I do recommend Michael Scarpone, D.O. who trained me in sports fellowship. He is one of the pioneers and does offer CT-guided injections. You may want to contact him for at least some guidance.
I have pins in hip from an injury from several years ago and have had SI injections which did help for a while but not much. The Dr suggested I try PRP. After reading so much about it I'm finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. I will be going for several more injections for the next several months and I will follow up.
Best wishes to you all!
I have had cortisone injection a year ago and no improvement is noticed.
I would like to see a doctor who practiced PRP for my conditions in the Bay Area.
Also, is PRP covered by Medicare.
BONE MARROW ASPIRATE = STEM CELLS CONCENTRATED
PLATELET RICH PLASMA = SOFT TISSUE HEALING
BONE MARROW ASPIRATE = BONES TISSUE
IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS ON BONES = BONE M. ASPI.
IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS ON LIGAMENTS, TENDONS, OR OTHER SOFT TISSUE = PRP !!!!
gonzalo_oriolo@hotmail.com
Thank you,
Camille Dattero
I told my hand surgeon that I wanted to try PRP, before having surgery, thinking I would probably have to fly to NY or FL to get it done, but I asked anyway. He talked with the other orthopedic doctors in his group and they agreed to allow me to be their first PRP patient......they had been considering making it available to their patients before I asked.
I have only had the one injection in each of my thumb joints. It is a miracle! I have absolutely no pain at all! 1 never imagined the results would be this good. I do take it easy on my hands. I ask my husband to open stubborn jar lids; I gave-up riding a bicycle; I don't do anything that hurts, but I still painted all the woodwork in the house, sew, and do just about anything I want to do.
I can't believe how good my hands feel now, but if they begin to ache again, I will be right back for another PRP treatment. I take absolutely no pain medication.
By the way, Medicare paid for my PRP!!!!!! Evidently, it all depends on how it is coded.
I received my treatment at Woodlands Sports Medicine, in The Woodlands, TX.
Thanks to all the PRP patients who wrote on forums such as this about your experiences with PRP. I would never have tried it without you.
I am a sports medicine physician based at Mercy Hospital in Miami.
To answer some of the questions yes, it is used with good results for plantar fasciitis in addition to osteoarthritis and the so called 'tendinitis' of various joints. I do not know who uses it in PR, but we do in Miami.
OF MY FEET ARE IN DEGENERATION IAM SUFFERING CRONIC PAIN AND IAM DISABLE I CANT WALK. PLEASE TELL ME WHO IS PRACTICING THIS THERAPY IN PUERTO RICO. IF INEED TO TRAVEL TO USA I WILL DO IT THANKS
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