If it's good enough for Brandon...

I came across this article today on the Oregonlive website about PRP therapy. Funny how they call it "cutting-edge." I think it is more accurately described as "not very well studied." Anyhow, interesting how they are using it among professional athletes, especially those who haven't been injured all that long. Maybe I'll wait and see how Brandon responds to therapy before going through it myself.




"Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy will undergo a cutting-edge, non-surgical technique today in Seattle to treat his strained right hamstring.Roy will have Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injected into his hamstring, which is designed to stop the bleeding on his hamstring while also releasing growth factors that aid the healing process. The procedure will be performed in Seattle by team doctors of the Seattle Seahawks, the NFL team that Blazers owner Paul Allen also owns. Roy on Thursday flew from Philadelphia to Seattle to meet with the Seahawks doctors. PRP includes extracting blood from Roy, then placing it in a centrifuge for 15 minutes, which separates red blood cells from platelets, forming a gel. That gel is injected into the injured area.Roy will be re-examined on Thursday before the team leaves for a two-game trip with stops in Houston (Jan. 29) and Dallas (Jan. 30). Roy will miss four games before that examination - tonight in Boston, Saturday in Detroit, and home games against New Orleans (Jan. 25) and Utah (Jan. 27).Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard said he is hoping Roy can return in seven-to-10 days, possibly placing his return for the Jan. 29 game at Houston or a Feb. 1 home game against Charlotte.The PRP technique has become popular in the NFL because it speeds the recovery."

Achilles Anniversary

It was a year ago today, or at least pretty close, that I suffered my first achilles tendon injury. I recall a beautiful, sunny morning in south central AZ. My family was packing for a car trip to Disneyland with my folks. I had to run back into the house for something when I felt this discomfort develop in my left achilles tendon. I figured it was one of those things that would work out over the next couple of hours. I was actually surprised after a couple days that the pain was still there... Little did I realize it would be a pain in my a** for an entire year.

So here I am, celebrating my one year anniversary with my achilles tendonopathy. Can't say I'm happy in this relationship and am looking for a way out. Katie and I have been researching PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) therapy for a while now and I'm wondering if it is time to pull the trigger. For those of you not in the know, PRP therapy is a fairly new treatment modality where your own plasma (containing healing factors) is injected into the injury site. The theory is that by directly injecting important healing factors, it will stimulate repair of the injured area. The problem is that this has been poorly studied and data are lacking to support it as a recommended therapeutic option. Within the past week, a research article in JAMA (Journal of American Medical Association) was published showing no improvement in outcome with PRP vs placebo in a small Dutch clinical trial using PRP for treatment of achilles tendonopathy. On the flip side, I have talked to people, runners, who seem to believe the exact opposite, that PRP works.

I have set some pretty high racing goals this year, none of which I'll be able to reach unless my achilles injuries heal. I'm currently taking some time off from running and focussing more on rehab, which includes PT and eccentric loading of my achilles. If anyone has insight to PRP therapy or anecdotal evidence of it working, please leave me a comment. Thanks.

Good Vibes

I'm lovin the Vibes. Put in another 2 mile cool down run today and have to say they felt very natural. They don't seem to alter my stride at all. The only negative is a small blister that has developed over my big toe at the mtp joint where the sole wraps around the side. It should callous up soon and be non-problematic before long. This is no fault of the shoe, I just have a deformed foot.
It's amazing how much you feel the change in running surface with VFFs. Not just rocks and stuff but the transition from road to sidewalk pavers was incredible. I have known this all along and typically avoid sidwalks/pavers when possible, but to feel the difference running in VFFs was dramatic. There is absolutely zero give when running on pavers as opposed to the road. I could just feel each stride jolting my bones and joints. Can't wait for spring to come around so I can hit the trails.