Knee problems follow Rafael Nadal, but not for long

April 3, 2012 - PRLog -- Days after concerns with Rafael Nadal’s left knee forced him out of the Sony Ericsson Open Miami tournament, he now says the knee is doing well and that he will be ready to play the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.  

Nadal said he first felt discomfort before the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells (he was defeated by Roger Federer), but in Miami, the pain in his left knee grew to a point that he was unable to take the court against Andy Murray in the semifinals on Friday, March 30, 2012.

Nadal is expected to play in Monte Carlo in two weeks, then Barcelona before Masters events in Madrid and Rome, leading up to the French Open.  At Monte Carlo in 2011, Nadal won an Open Era record seventh successive title and has a staggering 39-1 event record there.

Nadal has a history of chronic knee tendonitis, which forced him to retire from the Australian Open in 2010.  After winning the Monte Carlo Open in late April 2010, Nadal underwent a platelet-rich plasma injection to his left knee to improve the regeneration of the tendon.


It is theorized that growth factors from the platelets are the source of the regeneration.  Many professional athletes have turned to platelet-rich plasma, including Tiger Woods after his 2000 knee surgery.  Another tennis player, James Blake, also underwent platelet-rich plasma for knee tendonitis.  

Following the platelet-rich plasma injection, Nadal clearly improved, winning the French and Wimbledon Open, and had little trouble with his knee.  After Wimbledon, he had his right knee injected with platelet-rich plasma.  Nadal then went onto win the US Open, completing his grand slam as the youngest person to do so at age 24.  Nadal also became the first person since Rod Laver 41 years ago to win consecutively the French Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open all in the same year.  

According to Dennis Lox, MD, a sports, physical and regenerative medicine specialist in the Tampa Bay area, regenerative medicine techniques, such as platelet-rich plasma and stem cell therapy, have been used by many professional athletes to treat musculoskeletal injuries.  These regenerative medicine techniques are growing in use and acceptance, not only among sports professionals, but everyday citizens as well, because they could help injuries heal more quickly and could possibly help avoid surgery.


http://www.DrLox.com

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Dennis M. Lox, M.D. is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Since 1990, he has used sports medicine techiques and cutting-edge technology to help heal musculoskeletal injuries and relieve pain.