Celtic’s Wilcox scheduled for heart surgery

March 26, 2012 - PRLog -- Boston Celtic’s forward Chris Wilcox will undergo heart surgery to repair an enlarged aorta.  The surgery is schedule for March 29, 2012 at the Cleveland Clinic and he will miss the remainder of the season.

According to a Celtic’s news release, Wilcox has long had an aortic abnormality that remained stable throughout his 10-year NBA career.  As a precautionary measure, the Celtics medical staff scheduled frequent aortic scans for Wilcox, and a recent scan showed a significant enlargement of his aorta.  After several follow-up tests, doctors recommended surgery.


Dennis Lox, M.D., a sports, physical and regenerative medicine specialist in the Tampa Bay-area, points out that regenerative medicine techniques, such as platelet-rich plasma and/or stem cell therapy, have been used by many professional athletes to treat musculoskeletal injuries.  

While Wilcox’s condition does not fall into the category of a musculoskeletal injury, the use of stem cell therapy in connection with a heart disease is being researched and shows great promise, especially in the area of early post-heart attack treatment.  The use of platelet-rich plasma in surgery is growing because it can help tissues heal more quickly.

According to Dr. Lox, the application of platelet-rich plasma and stem cell technology is growing in use and acceptance, not only among sports professionals, but everyday citizens as well.  These regenerative medicine techniques could help musculoskeletal 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.