Lindsay Vonn Gold Medal Olympic Downhill Whistler 2010

 

Linsday Vonn won the Gold Medal in the Olympic Downhill yesterday at Whistler.  Given the severity of her injury the performance was amazing.  I do not know any of the details of how she has been treated but kudos to her treating providers.  I still believe she should have been able to use platelet rich plasma as a means of treating her deep muscle bruise.  However she recovered and competed, she will now forever be known as an Olympic Champion.  

AM

US Olympian Daron Rahlves treated with Platelet Rich Plasma

US Olympic skier Daron Rahlves dislocated his hip at the Winter X Games recently.  He was treated with platelet rich plasma to help speed healing.   He is potentially going to compete in the Olympics this week.

We'll have to watch to see if he can recover in time.

Read the full story.

AM
Total Tendon

Lindsay Vonn Olympics, Leg Injury and Platelet Rich Plasma

 

Olympian Lindsay Vonn apparently has a deep bruise to the muscle on her leg.  No one knows the details of the injury or how it is being treated but it sounds like it may be a good application for platelet rich plasma.  There is NO data suggesting PRP would help her other than accelerating her healing and obviously she has little or no time left before competition.

Does anyone out there have any comments on it would be a good idea to treat her with PRP?

Therapeutic Use Exemption for PRP in Muscle Injuries

It has been unclear in the media and in the literature if the World Anti-Doping Agency has banned platelet rich plasma for intramuscular injection.  There is a need to better understand their position.

Via BloodCure sources, we have definitely determined that PRP is LEGAL to be used via the intramuscular route with a therapeutic use exemption, also known as a TUE.  To my knowledge there is NO data suggesting PRP is anabolic for skeletal muscle injuries in humans.  If there is any specific data out there please post it here.

Athletes of all kinds need to know PRP may be an option for them if they apply for the appropriate exemption.  As always, check with the governing body of your chosen sport and consult with your physicians to best determine if it is appropriate.

AM
Total Tendon

PRP beats Cortisone for Tennis Elbow in Level One Study

Under the direction of Dr. Taco Gosens from the Netherlands, a prospective, randomized, controlled trial of 100 patients was done to evaluate the efficacy of platelet rich plasma against cortisone for chronic tennis elbow.   They recently reported their results in the American Journal of Sports Medicine.  (Feb. 2010)

73% of the PRP treated patients were successful compared to 51% in the corticosteroid group (p < 0.001) at one year of follow up according to visual analog pain and functional scores.   This represents a 43% better success rate for PRP.    This data should put to end the option of using cortisone for chronic tennis elbow.  There is only limited support for its use in short term pain relief.  It is also clear from these last two papers that the evaluation of PRP must be done by specific clinical problem and the severity of the problem.  Only by doing careful studies we will be better able to predict which patients will respond to PRP as a therapy. 

Finally, PRP in my opinion should be reserved for patients that have failed non-operative treatment and are considering surgery.  Most patients with tendinopathy will respond without invasive intervention.  A study directly comparing PRP to surgical outcomes for tendinopathy should be considered.

AM
Total Tendon