When an athlete uses their body to make a living, they cannot afford to be sidelined due to injury. Pro athletes have always sought ways to stay healthy and have an edge over their competition. Everything from training devices to surgeries has been tried. Lately, steroids and human growth hormones have been used, and abused, by athletes for their healing effects. An alternative therapy used by pro-athletes to get them back on the field of play is platelet rich plasma therapy (PRP) which is a treatment used to combat muscle, joint, tendon and ligament injuries. The process involves centrifuging the patient's blood until it contains a concentrated mix of plasma cells and growth factors which is then injected directly into the injured tissue. Then there's what NBA champ Kobe Bryant and MLB All-Star third baseman Alex Rodriguez have done to get back in fighting shape -- Orthokine Therapy.
Orthokine Therapy (OT) was created by Orthogen, a German-based company. The OT treatment differs from the PRP in that it uses a process where autologous conditioned serum (ACS) is generated by taking a sample of the patient's blood and incubating it in the presence of etched medical-grade glass beads. The ACS is similar to the PRP in that it is still the patient's own blood. The primary difference can be found in the glass beads which are used to grow immuno-factors and then spin down and re-injected into the affected joint or muscle. The second major difference: legality. Although the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) doesn't have Orthokine on its banned substance list, it hasn't been approved for use in the U.S. According to a story in the New York Post, Kobe Bryant, who had traveled overseas to get the therapy for his right knee and left ankle, was so pleased with the results that he shared the secret with Alex Rodriguez. Bryant provided contact information for Dr. Peter Wehling, the molecular scientist who created the Orthokine treatment, with Rodriguez.
The question now is when will this procedure be allowed in the United States? If it is well-known that these world famous athletes are utilizing this procedure, why not allow them to have it done in the comfort of their own country? Or, is the procedure another form of performance enhancement that should be deemed illegal?
Very interesting. This sounds a lot like blood doping (EPO), but in a good sense. I am interested to know how many endurance athletes use this as a recovery method, and if it has any benefit to their performance physiologically (assuming this might be a reason for this practice to not be approved in the US)? I am a proponent of finding ways to improve recovery time from athletic-injuries, so I would like to see how this would work in the US. With less injuries, competition will not suffer on the playing field.
ReplyDeleteTwo doctors in the US have now been trained and approved in Orthokine Therapy.
ReplyDeleteDo you know who they are?
DeleteDo they lose any streanth after the procedure that they had before the injury
ReplyDeleteThe athletes are showing to regain the strength they had before surgery, and in some cases the athletes are stronger. But this is common in most surgeries due to the intinsive rehabilitation focused on the injured muscle group.
ReplyDeleteCan you tell us who those doctors are? Is there one in Florida?
DeleteDr. Michael Neely and Dr. Edward Capla, both are in New York.
ReplyDeleteUFC pres Dana White got pure Orthokine from Germany but not for any orthopedic purpose. He got it for his Meniere's disease which is a disorder of the inner ear vestibular system and it got rid of it!! So there's proof right there that Orthokine isn't only just for orthopedic use! it should be tried on other medical issues as well!
ReplyDeleteoh and I also suffer from bilateral Meniere's so I'm going to be checking into getting this done!
ReplyDeleteRenew Medical Centers seems like a trusted choice for Platelet Rich Plasma Treatment in Cincinnati. PRP therapy seems like a promising option for skin regeneration, so I'm eager to learn more about it. Has anyone received PRP treatments at Renew Medical Centers for skin issues? I would be delighted to receive your opinions and suggestions!
ReplyDelete