Sunday, July 19, 2009

PRP Cutting Edge Treatment for Athletes

A well written article by Jenny Vrentas was just published about how ailing athletes are using platelet rich plasma. It discusses many of the hot issues surrounding PRP including doping. She notes:

"The NFL and MLB currently regard PRP as a medical treatment, not a performance-enhancement agent, so its use is left to the discretion of team physicians. WADA is still gathering information and will address PRP at upcoming meetings. Its Prohibited List for 2009 doesn't specifically mention PRP, though a spokesperson said blood processing techniques that lead to the release of growth factors generally fall under the "Hormones and Related Substances" section of that list. Athletes, however, can request a Therapeutic Use Exemption for a substance or method, if it is used to treat a serious medical condition."

Click here for the full article.

Hopefully, soon we will have a definitive ruling about PRP. The argument is actually quite simple. Nothing new or more is added to the patient at the time of the treatment. And, although PRP may speed healing from an injury, it has never been shown to enhance performance.

AM
Total Tendon

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