Platelet-rich plasma use growing in orthopedic surgery

July 13, 2011 - PRLog -- Use of platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, by professional athletes has spurred interest in the procedure and its use is now growing among ordinary people.

According to Dr. Joseph Aiello, a family and sports medicine physician at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego, he utilizes it in patients varying in age from 18 to 90, and in all different levels of health, including patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes.  He states that there are some cases in which PRP would be inappropriate, such as in patients with bulging discs or complete rotator cuff tears.  

Dr. C. David Geier Jr., director of the Medical University of South Carolina Sports Medicine, feels that patients who have serious cartilage damage, such as arthritis, and need total joint replacement will not benefit from PRP.  

They note that some insurance companies will not cover PRP, most patients are willing to undergo the procedure for its potential benefit.  The doctors also noted that PRP is now accepted by most sports organizations, including the NFL and NCAA.

In the past, PRP was considered a performance enhancing substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency.  Due to the lack of current evidence concerning its use for purposes of performance enhancement, the agency is taking PRP off the list of prohibited substances.   Professional and collegiate athletic organizations allow their players to receive PRP treatment.  

Dr. Geier says that while PRP speeds up the healing process and is often used to return professional athletes to the game more quickly, it does not enhance their performance.  It is performance enhancing in the sense that it helps you heal but it does not help you get better than your baseline.  

Dr. Dennis Lox, a physical and regenerative medicine specialist in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, comments that there has been some misconception in the past regarding whether PRP is actually performance enhancing and concurs with Dr. Geier.

“PRP will not make you any better than you already were,” said Dr. Lox.  “It only helps to accelerate the natural healing process and certainly, there is nothing wrong in trying to assist in this process.”

Dr. Lox points out that platelet-rich plasma has been utilized for an extended period in a variety of medical realms besides orthopedics, including dental and wound care, and is used extensively in veterinary medicine.


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.