AAOS NOW just published a discussion about what's behind the hype of platelet rich plasma Read an excerpt below:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Dr. Mishra also presented a concise classification system for PRP formulations (See Video of PRP Classification) to help compare data from various studies. The system takes into account the inclusion of white blood cells, the addition of a thrombin activator, and the final concentration of platelets.
He noted that PRP is “autologous engineering” a way to help maximize how the body helps heal itself. Stem cells and bone marrow are other examples.
“Patients are seeing elite athletes, like Tiger Woods and Raphael Nadal, being treated with some form of PRP and are asking their orthopaedic surgeons to give them ‘what Tiger got.’ The problem is that we don’t know ‘what Tiger got,’ what happened to him before or afterwards, or what was used, and no one is publishing that data,” noted Dr. Mishra.
“But all three major sports organizations—the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball, and the National Basketball Association—as well as the World Anti-Doping Agency, have declared that PRP is a reasonable treatment, despite the fact that we may all agree that there’s limited research to support the efficacy of its use,” he continued.
Read the full article.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clearly, PRP needs more evidence to be fully validated. This will require investigation of specific PRP formulations and specific indications with important but expensive large randomized trials. Athletes in general, however, do not wait until there is definitive proof. They are constantly searching for the best ways to recover from injuries and PRP has increasing evidence that it may help.
Read the full article.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clearly, PRP needs more evidence to be fully validated. This will require investigation of specific PRP formulations and specific indications with important but expensive large randomized trials. Athletes in general, however, do not wait until there is definitive proof. They are constantly searching for the best ways to recover from injuries and PRP has increasing evidence that it may help.
