Platelet Rich Plasma in Joint Injuries and Osteoarthritis

Arthritis specialists predict by the year 2030 there will be 67 million Americas with arthritis and Platelet-Rich Plasma injections may alleviate if not eliminate the pain arthritis will cause. An article in the Boston Globe centers around Josephine "Jo" Foster, a 79 year old Massachusetts restaurant hostess plagued by osteoarthritis in her knees, who opted for PRP injections as treatment.

"I haven't got time for arthritis," says Foster in the article. "That's old people, not me."

Disease trackers warn the number of young Americans with painful osteoarthritis will increase due to obesity as time elapses.

“It’s not at all uncommon to see severe osteoarthritis in people at age 40 because of the presence of obesity," says the Arthritis Foundation's chief science officer, Dr. John Harden said.

But for Jo, knee replacement surgery was not an option. She had both knees injected with PRP in September.

“My doctor said there may be pain so I went home and waited for the pain,’’ said Foster, who has undergone a variety of other noninvasive therapies unsuccessfully.

“There is no pain now,’’ Foster continued. “None whatsoever.’’

Foster’s physician, Dr. Joanne Borg-Stein, specializes in rehabilitation and sports medicine. Dr. Borg-Stein has treated about 175 patients with Platelet-Rich Plasma injections in the past year.

“I like to be honest with patients and tell them that we are just starting to get data in from animal trials, that we don’t have really good human data,’’ Borg-Stein said. “People have to be willing to accept that they are on the leading edge with this.’’

To read this Boston Globe article, click here and scroll down to "Boston Globe: What a Pain"

Blake Griffin to receive Platelet-Rich Plasma Treatment

2009 #1 NBA Draft Choice Blake Griffin, of the Los Angeles Clippers, sustained a non-displaced stress fracture in his left patella and will undergo Platelet-Rich Plasma Treatment. Griffin was injured in the last pre-season game against the New Orleans Hornets on Friday, October 23. His MRI confirmed the diagnosis given by the Clippers team doctor and another specialist, Neal ElAttrache. Elattrache administered Platelet-Rich Plasma to Takashi Saito, pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier in the year. Griffin is to return in action in 6 weeks following bone stimulation and PRP Treatment.

Read the Clippers blog post about Griffin's injury here.

Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy Video

Former CNN Sportscaster and current pastor Bob Kurtz, set a Guinness Book World Record by playing an astounding 500 consecutive holes. His feat was nearly hindered by golfer's elbow. This is his story and a tribute to how effective this cutting-edge treatment is. To watch please click here.

Partial Tendon Tear Treatment Video

Former college athlete and current baseball coach, Scott Grissett undergoes Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy for a partial tendon tear in his ankle. Hear his thoughts about the treatment in real time as he takes you step-by-step through the treatment. To watch this video, please click here.

John Daly is Back Thanks to Platelet-Rich Plasma

Article from Dr. Sports Med Blog

PubMed summary of new Platelet-Rich Plasma AAOS article

The following is a summary of the current AAOS article from the PubMed website. PubMed article ID: 19794217

Platelet-rich plasma: current concepts and application in sports medicine.

Hall MP, Band PA, Meislin RJ, Jazrawi LM, Cardone DA.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York, NY 10003, USA.

"Platelet-rich plasma is defined as autologous blood with a concentration of platelets above baseline values. Platelet-rich plasma has been used in maxillofacial and plastic surgery since the 1990s; its use in sports medicine is growing given its potential to enhance muscle and tendon healing. In vitro studies suggest that growth factors released by platelets recruit reparative cells and may augment soft-tissue repair. Although minimal clinical evidence is currently available, the use of platelet-rich plasma has increased, given its safety as well as the availability of new devices for outpatient preparation and delivery. Its use in surgery to augment rotator cuff and Achilles tendon repair has also been reported. As the marketing of platelet-rich plasma increases, orthopaedic surgeons must be informed regarding the available preparation devices and their differences. Many controlled clinical trials are under way, but clinical use should be approached cautiously until high-level clinical evidence supporting platelet-rich plasma efficacy is available."

To view this go to PubMed.gov and type in the article ID number at the top of the post.

Platelet-RIch: Defined

Question: What is contained in the Platelet-Rich compound that creates the "natural healing" element of the PRP therapy?

While Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy is in its fledgling stages of development, "it has been shown in dozens of published studies to improve the healing of wounds, tendons and bone," according to ApexPRP.com, online home to PRP's leading developer Dr. Allan Mishra. The plasma is a concentrated dosage of platelets higher than the level your body would deliver to the injury on its own. This compound is created through a filtration system separating red blood cells from platelets that release proteins and other healing proteins. This separation process takes place following a small blood drawing from the patient. The red blood cells are rotated at high speeds by a centrifuge creating the division.

The Platelet-Rich Plasma is injected directly into an injury with a concentration of platelets 3-10 times higher than a blood stream can deliver on its own. Thus, the platelets are derived from the patients own blood creating an organic plasma compound that can most accurately be described as platelet-rich.

While the therapy is new, it has great promise and the majority of studies have concluded there is an obligation to discover the full healing potential of Platelet-Rich Plasma.

Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy

Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy continues to gain the focus of top clinical organizations and publications. The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery (JAAOS) is a prestigious publication and JAAOS published an article on PRP in this month's edition. According to Dr. Allan Mishra, leading researcher and developer of PRP, this represents the acknowledgment of Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy as a "regenerative treatment" (from Dr. Mishra's blog). The article highlights the growing use of PRP in sports medicine due to its potential to enhance muscle and soft tendon injuries. It also notes its reported benefit in rotator cuff and Achilles tendon surgery. It however cautions over exaggerated marketing statements that would yield reckless clinical use. A summary can be found at pubmed.gov or by clicking here.