I read last week that Kobe Bryant has again (for the second time) travelled to Germany to get a "PRP" procedure. Upon further reading, they called it an Orthokine procedure.
I checked around with some major sports medicine groups and can't seem to find someone doing this procedure in America.
Is it the same as PRP? If not, why Germany? Is something fishy? Is Kobe getting a "free pass" from the press, fans, and the NBA?
Steve S. Los Angeles, Calif.
Here is what we know:
A PRP procedure, done by many sports physicians in this country is NOT Orthokine. Plasma rich platelet (PRP) injections are for real and are becoming more mailstream in this country, even though insurance companies have not caught up and started reimbursing this procedure.
The treatments are now evidence-based with research published in major medical journals, and I consider them as a major advance in sports medicine.
PRP is widely available in just about every city where you have sports medicine specialists and I do them regularly in my office as a treatment to speed healing and quickly get runners with muscle pulls and tears, ligament sprains, stress fractures, tendonitis and osteoparthrititis back to running. I believe it is truly rejuvenative therapy. There is even increasing evidence that PRP works on cartilage and meniscal tears. I have seen amazing results.
Here is how PRP works:
A physician takes a sample of your blood (approximately 20cc) and using a special centrifuge, spins it down for 14 minutes. This separates out a layer of plasma rich platelets along with some activating factors present in the patient's own blood, which is then injected right back into the area of injury, without any manipulation or additives. This accelerates healing. The Pittsburgh Steelers' Hines Ward had PRP done in the two weeks before the Super Bowl and performed great. I have seen patients do just as well, though sometimes it takes two or more treatments.
Orthokine is a different treatment and has been allowed in Germany since 2003 (but not in the U.S. by the FDA). German doctors say one of the possible triggers of joint disease has been thought to be the protein interleukin-1 (IL-1). This is believed to be one culprit behind arthritis. IL-1 is an important part of the body's immune system and has the ability to alter the function of other cells. IL-1 can be positive when it allows the body's "repair troops" to move in quickly to fight infection or other kinds of damage, but it can also trigger inflammatory processes that lead to degeneration and breakdown of cartilage.
It is these negative effects that are primarily responsible for the pain and stiffness of osteoarthritis.
German doctors also say there is another protein that counteracts the effects of interleukin 1. This is the natural adversary of interleukin 1, known as interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA). This "good protein" protects cartilage by keeping the pro-inflammatory proteins in check. Blood cells produce this protein. It is the additive and the incubation that is holding up approval by the FDA in this country despite a published medical article in a German medical journal.
Note that neither PRP nor Orthokine procedures are banned by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) nor the World Anti-Doping Agency
I am very curious, however, when professional athletes travel out of this country for treatment when the U.S. has tons of qualified legitimate sports docs. Remember "Christmas Miracle Colon" and his surgery in the Caribbean Islands? Remember Dr. Galea?
Some noted professionals other than Kobe have flown to Germany for this
procedure, including Alex Rodriguez. According to reports, the
following having gone to Germany for Orthokine: Andrew Bogut, NBA
center; Sidney Rice, NFL wide receiver; Fred Couples, Vijay Singh,
professional golfers; Brian Urlacher, NFL linebacker; Grant Hill, NBA
guard.
Is this truly breakthrough treatment or will we find out later that there was something suspicious about this treatment?
So yes Steve, in this era, where we are all concerned about transparency and are against doping, there are many questions that have yet to be answered.
I am sure this discussion will come up again as we all learn more.
Lewis G. Maharam, MD
***
Lewis G. Maharam, MD, is one of the world's most extensively credentialed and well-known sports health experts. Better known as Running Doc™, Maharam is the author of the Running Doc's Guide to Healthy Running and is the past medical director of the NYC Marathon and Rock 'n' Roll Marathon series . He is medical director of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program. He is also past president of the New York Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine. Learn more at runningdoc.com.http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/running-doc-dissecting-orthokine-prp-article-1.1478755
German doctors also say there is another protein that counteracts the effects of interleukin 1. This is the natural adversary of interleukin 1, known as interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA). This "good protein" protects cartilage by keeping the pro-inflammatory proteins in check. Blood cells produce this protein. It is the additive and the incubation that is holding up approval by the FDA in this country despite a published medical article in a German medical journal.
Note that neither PRP nor Orthokine procedures are banned by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) nor the World Anti-Doping Agency
I am very curious, however, when professional athletes travel out of this country for treatment when the U.S. has tons of qualified legitimate sports docs. Remember "Christmas Miracle Colon" and his surgery in the Caribbean Islands? Remember Dr. Galea?
Is this truly breakthrough treatment or will we find out later that there was something suspicious about this treatment?
So yes Steve, in this era, where we are all concerned about transparency and are against doping, there are many questions that have yet to be answered.
I am sure this discussion will come up again as we all learn more.
Lewis G. Maharam, MD
***
Lewis G. Maharam, MD, is one of the world's most extensively credentialed and well-known sports health experts. Better known as Running Doc™, Maharam is the author of the Running Doc's Guide to Healthy Running and is the past medical director of the NYC Marathon and Rock 'n' Roll Marathon series . He is medical director of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program. He is also past president of the New York Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine. Learn more at runningdoc.com.http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/running-doc-dissecting-orthokine-prp-article-1.1478755
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια :
Δημοσίευση σχολίου