The Buzz On Biological Treatment
Our medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook reported on how doctors are using biological treatments to speed athletes' recovery times. Now he's filling in more details on how such treatments work. — and how they might be approaching a tipping point.
“Biological treatment” is a new buzz word in orthopedics. The concept is to use the body’s own repair systems to improve healing and restore function. One such treatment is the use of “platelet rich plasma” (PRP). Platelets are tiny pieces of blood cells that are important for blood clotting. As it turns out, they also seem to be important for wound healing. Researchers are now starting to see whether it’s helpful to spin down a few tablespoons of a patient’s own blood, separate out a portion that is rich in platelets, and inject that platelet-rich plasma into injured parts of the body such as knees and elbows.
PRP therapy is already being used in Europe. In the United States, it is starting to take off. Dr. Allan Mishra, an orthopedist at Stanford University Medical Center, has been a pioneer in its use in the United States. He first started using PRP in 2001. I spoke to Dr. Mishra tonight and he pointed out that healing in the tendons and cartilages tends to be poor because of limited blood supply. With PRP, “you’re taking a component of your own blood, concentrating the wound-healing components and injecting those back into your body into an area where you are not able to heal very well.” In brief, he adds, “you’re trying to take advantage of your own body’s ability to heal itself.”
(CBS)
PRP therapy is already being used in Europe. In the United States, it is starting to take off. Dr. Allan Mishra, an orthopedist at Stanford University Medical Center, has been a pioneer in its use in the United States. He first started using PRP in 2001. I spoke to Dr. Mishra tonight and he pointed out that healing in the tendons and cartilages tends to be poor because of limited blood supply. With PRP, “you’re taking a component of your own blood, concentrating the wound-healing components and injecting those back into your body into an area where you are not able to heal very well.” In brief, he adds, “you’re trying to take advantage of your own body’s ability to heal itself.”
Author Thomas Friedman on Obama's Afghanistan plan and the war on terror.
