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The plan is to inject Lee in the abdomen with doses of his own platelet-enriched blood, which is supposed to encourage the body to repair bone, muscle and other tissue. Most doctors caution that more research on the treatment is necessary, but are encouraged because the therapy appears to aid the re-growth of ligament and tendon fibers, potentially reducing recovery time or eliminating some types of surgery.
“It’s a better option for problems that don’t have a great solution — it’s nonsurgical and uses the body’s own cells to help it heal,” said Dr. Allan Mishra, an assistant professor of orthopedics at Stanford University Medical Center. “I think it’s fair to say that platelet-rich plasma has the potential to revolutionize not just sports medicine but all of orthopedics. It needs a lot more study, but we are obligated to pursue this.”
The injections mark the second medical procedure since Lee signed with the club, the first being a minor operation to remove a broken bone growth that was irritating the southpaw’s left foot in mid-February and the announcement suggests Seattle is desperate to get the 2008 Cy Young Award winner back on the mound. Why else would the team consent to a medical technique on their prize off-season acquisition? The procedure, although relatively common outside of professional sports, is not scientifically proven.
Since the mid-1990s, doctors have practiced PRP therapy for the treatment of ailments ranging from tennis elbow and tendonitis to helping patients recover from spinal injuries and some types of plastic surgery.
"PRP treatment really gained speed last January. It got press that two of the Pittsburgh Steelers [Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu] used it before [winning] the Super Bowl. More and more patients started to ask about it,” said Dennis A. Cardone, a doctor of osteopathic medicine at the New York University (N.Y.U.) Hospital for Joint Diseases.
Reach Galen Helmgren at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
