Is there a doc in the house?

[false_Aest]

Any doctors out there familiar with platelet rich plasma injections?

I'd love to talk to ya about it in regards to a muscle tear.

[MattTuck]

False, you may want to pursue a natural food approach as well.

This video is really interesting. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc) It is not geared toward muscle tears, but I'd think most of the principles translate.

Best of luck with the recovery.

[gasman]

PRP is really still trying to find a niche where it clearly works. The orthopods I work with have been injecting achillies tendons, muscles and shoulder tendons but the enthusiasm seems to be waning as it's not clear how beneficial the injection is for healing.

[CNY rider]

There's very little science there.
You will largely be doing it on faith if you do it.

[firerescuefin]

There's very little science there.
You will largely be doing it on faith if you do it.

Actually the Science behind it makes a lot of sense to me. Care to elaborate?

[CNY rider]

Science making sense and actual controlled clinical trials data supporting a therapy are worlds apart.
There is a long history of medical treatments that made perfect sense, including some that I personally believed, that turned out not to perform as expected.
Do you have clinical trials data to share?

[firerescuefin]

Science making sense and actual controlled clinical trials data supporting a therapy are worlds apart.
There is a long history of medical treatments that made perfect sense, including some that I personally believed, that turned out not to perform as expected.
Do you have clinical trials data to share?

The clinical data says "inconclusive but promising"...I've had the treatment with great success on my LCL (knee) and rotator cuff. Your initial comment seemed little more than dismissive.

Would love (no sarcasm) to hear more about your clinical experience or knowledge about the subject.

added:
....I will say this. Theoretically, it makes a lot of sense, it's minimally invasive, and burns no bridges. It's not covered by most insurance plans, but between my shoulder and knee, I've spent more on a set of wheels, and as someone who had done all I could do from a rehab standpoint, it was a welcomed and helpful adjunct.

[znfdl]

I have had PRP in my neck and lower back with great success. My neck developed athirtis from years of abuse as a footbal player and wrestler. Currently I no longer have stiffness in my neck or any residual pain.

I had injections in my ligaments from S1 to L3 to stabilize / stregthen my lower back after I herniated a disk. So far, I have had very positive results.

My wife has had injections in her knee (athirtis and a shredded meniscus) and achilles tendon, also with great success.

However, the insurance companies still consider the treatment as experimental, so atleast for me the cost was out of pocket.

Given the positive results that I have had, I would gladly pay for the treatment all over again. My doctor said that I heal more quickly than his average patient, so that might have something to do with my success.

[CNY rider]

The clinical data says "inconclusive but promising.

That's your interpretation of the data.
What clinical trials data has been published?
My experience, or any other anecdotal experience offered up does not prove or disprove the efficacy of this treatment.

[false_Aest]

Hey,

Do me a favor. Argue about clinical trial results etc somewhere else.

If it worked for you, I wanna know on what part and how fast the results started coming.

If it didn't work for you, I wanna know on what part.

I currently have 3 option to fix my hamstring tear:
1) 4-6 weeks on crutches with compression. can't do anything
2) 2-3 weeks off, PRP and back to PT
3) surgery.

im inclined to do PRP just because its faster BUT its vastly more expensive than #1 (my insurance will pick up some)

[firerescuefin]

FA....my intial consults were covered by my insurance...the treatments were not. A good practicioner is going to be able to tell you if they feel you have a reasonable chance of the treatment working based on the severity of the injury.

[znfdl]

FA:

PRP on my neck and lower back I noticed a change the next day, which was expected. Based on my limited knowledge, PRP cause an inflammtory response in my ligaments which helped stabilize / strengthen the neck and lower back. The doctor did the injections using a fluoroscope, so the injections sites were very precise.

My wife's knee took about a week to notice the difference. She still has two or more treatements to go on her knee.

My doctor says that if you are a quick healer (I am and my wife is not) then you will notice the changes more quickly. The last injections on my neck were three months ago and still feel great.

The hardest part is not taking any anti-inflammatories during and after the treatments for many months (6 months after the last treatment was my doc's recommendation)

[thwart]

Dr. Bruce Reider, editor of The American Journal of Sports Medicine, said in a recent editorial that perhaps it should be called “platelet-rich panacea.”

Just sayin'

[FGC]

If you're racing you may want to stay away:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23211708
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous blood product used to treat acute and chronic tendon, ligament, and muscle injuries in over 86,000 athletes in the United States annually. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned intramuscular PRP injections in competitive athletes in 2010 because of concerns that it may increase performance-enhancing growth factors. The ban on PRP was removed in 2011 because of limited evidence for a systemic ergogenic effect of PRP, but the growth factors within PRP remain prohibited.

[I Want Sachs?]

Anecdotal medicine such as platelet rich stuff make doctors rich.

FA: the trial are important. Otherwise you might get away with injecting saline or glucose into the area to cause swelling and promote some inflammation.

[znfdl]

Dr. Bruce Reider, editor of The American Journal of Sports Medicine, said in a recent editorial that perhaps it should be called “platelet-rich panacea.”

Just sayin'

I am curious if his being an orthopedic surgeon has anything to do with his opinion?

I could be wrong as I might be drinking too much wine, but my understanding is that PRP has gained greater acceptance in Europe than in the US.

[false_Aest]

Anecdotal medicine such as platelet rich stuff make doctors rich.

FA: the trial are important. Otherwise you might get away with injecting saline or glucose into the area to cause swelling and promote some inflammation.


I've already had dextrose injected into the area (prolotherapy - D50) -- 3 rounds, 24 injections total.

I'm totally skeptical and have been perusing the articles available online but 2 weeks of recovery and some crazy blood voodoo magic sounds a lot better than 4 weeks in compression and crutches or surgery.

[slidey]

With such short time frames (3 weeks vs 6 weeks), to me it makes little sense and very rushed to go down an uncertain path. Your body though, so good luck!

[SoCalSteve]

Please call Dr. Peter Fields in Santa Monica ( if you haven't already). Mention my name...

He's a holistic sports doc- chiro that also specializes in Prolo and a more holistic approach.

He will steer you in the right direction.

Good luck!

[Louis]

I currently have 3 option to fix my hamstring tear:
1) 4-6 weeks on crutches with compression. can't do anything
2) 2-3 weeks off, PRP and back to PT
3) surgery.

What's the big rush?

Given the choice between something that has been proven, and other than taking time, seems to be risk-free, and an unproven technique (anecdotes don't equal data), I'd go with the proven approach.

Besides, (4 + 6) / 2 = 5 wks vs (2 + 3) / 2 = 2.5 wks, so PRP saves you on average (assuming avg is in the middle of the range, which may not be the case) just 2.5 weeks. That's nothing.

Finally, if PRP were that great there would presumably be reliable medical studies out there saying that it is. If there aren't there's probably a good reason for that.

Best of luck, whatever you choose.