CUTTING-EDGE, PLATELET-RICH PLASMA THERAPY EMERGING AS NEW OPTION FOR AILING ATHLETES
by Jenny Vrentas/The Star-Ledger
Saturday July 18, 2009, 10:23 PM
Charles Krupa/Associated Press
Jose Reyes is one of a few injured Mets who have tried platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, which channels the healing power in a patient's own blood to accelerate recovery.
As mounting injuries have turned into mounting losses for the Mets this summer, they have swiftly found their season in need of saving. So with many core players on the disabled list, the team has turned to an intriguing injury treatment that has shown promise among the ranks of top-tier athletes
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, which channels the healing power in a patient's own blood to accelerate recovery, was used to help Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward start in Super Bowl XLIII, former Dodgers closer Takashi Saito avoid Tommy John surgery last summer and a handful of Rutgers athletes continue their college careers.
"That's what I heard, this is a new procedure that helps to heal," Mets All-Star center fielder Carlos Beltran said earlier this month. "I would try whatever it takes to get better and to be back on the field."
For Beltran, out with a bone bruise on his right knee since late June, and teammate Jose Reyes, who tried the treatment after sustaining a small tear in his right hamstring tendon in early June, it's still uncertain how much PRP has aided their recovery. Both are still on the disabled list.
