New Biomedical Treatment Shows Promise For Orthopaedic Injuries

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It is likely to have a major impact for treating amateur athletes - 'weekend warriors' - given its relatively low cost and promising recovery for injuries for which surgery is not an option.

Geneva, IL (PRWEB) June 22, 2009

An emerging technology in orthopaedic medicine has great potential to treat a variety of injuries and help patients avoid surgery… using a patient's own blood. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy leverages the body's own growth factors to accelerate healing, reducing recovery time and enabling individuals to return to normal activity more quickly.

The PRP treatment begins by drawing blood from the patient and placing that blood in a high-speed centrifuge, which separates red blood cells from the platelets that release proteins and other particles that help the body self-heal. The result is a concentration of platelets that is three to 10 times what is found in normal blood.

The platelet-rich substance then is injected into the patient where healing is required. These areas are typically places in the body where blood does not go, but the healing aspects of the platelets take effect without the clotting responses that platelets usually cause. PRP therapy is currently being used in a small number of orthopaedic practices and hospitals around the country with notable success.

One of the most promising applications for PRP therapy is with injuries where surgery is not an option or as effective, as in the case of knee tendonitis, tennis elbow and rotator cuff injuries. In these cases, it is often a lower-cost option, as well.

"PRP therapy is an important biomedical advancement in the treatment of orthopaedic injuries," said Dr. Vishal Mehta, a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon who is one of the few Chicago-area doctors offering PRP therapy to patients. "It is likely to have a major impact for treating amateur athletes - 'weekend warriors' - given its relatively low cost and promising recovery for injuries for which surgery is not an option."

In addition to the possibility of avoiding surgery, PRP treatment offers other benefits, such as increased recovery time. In the case of L.A. Dodgers' pitcher Takashi Saito, the treatment he underwent for the injury to his pitching elbow last season enabled him to avoid an estimated 12-month recovery time, which would have ended his season early. Instead, he was able to pitch again before the season ended during the pennant race in September.

Although already used for a small number of professional athletes - including Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers - PRP treatment has potential applications beyond athletic injuries, such as for arthritis and osteo-arthritis, where the cartilage at the end of the bone wears away.

"Because it is a new treatment, research is still underway to measure its success across a broad spectrum of injuries and situations," added Dr. Mehta. "Each case needs to be evaluated on an individual basis, and many patients are finding success with PRP."

Dr. Vishal Mehta is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon who practices out of the Fox Valley Orthopaedic Institute (http://www.fvortho.com) in Geneva and Naperville, Ill. An expert on the application of growth factors to orthopaedic medicine, he is one of the few physicians in the Chicago area who offer PRP treatment as an option to patients. He also is a sports medicine specialist who serves as the team doctor for the Kane County Cougars Class A baseball team and several area high school teams.

Dr. Mehta is very active in clinical research and the director of the Fox Valley Orthopaedic Research Foundation, serves on the board of the Illinois Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and has presented numerous studies at orthopaedic conferences around the country. He also is the founder and director of the Foundation for Orthopaedic Development, an organization committed to improving orthopaedics in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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