Researchers Use Patient's Own Blood To Treat Hamstring Injury

This article is about how researchers in London have found an effective treatment for micro-tears in the hamstring and has results from the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). This is done by injecting the patient with his/her own blood and a steroid along with "dry-needling," in which repeated needle punctures cause controlled internal bleeding in the injured area. Injecting a patient with their own blood at the site of the injury helps to them heal ore quickly because blood contains many growth factors, and the injections have been shown to promote faster healing of certain injuries.

Hamstring tendinopathy is a common injury in sports may be caused by an improper warm-up or, in an elite athlete, as the result of repetitive strain. Unlike a torn or ruptured tendon that can be surgically repaired, the tiny micro-tears that characterize chronic tendinopathy are not easily diagnosed, are difficult to heal and often sideline athletes for long periods, if not permanently.

In the study, 42 patients with suspected hamstring micro tearing underwent ultrasound and MRI to confirm the tendinopathy and then each were randomly assigned to one of 3 treatment groups. Following their treatments, all patients in the study participated in a structured six-week physiotherapy program. The patients were then evaluated at various intervals over a one-year period to assess their levels of pain and functioning.

Patients treated just with the steroid and dry-needling reported improved functionality for only three to 12 weeks after treatment. A year later, the patients in this group reported being at pre-treatment levels of pain and functionality. However, patients who received their own blood plus dry-needling reported significant improvements in functionality, even one year after the treatment. Lastly, patients who received both their own blood and a steroid along with dry-needling at the site of tendon damage experienced the most significant reduction in pain levels and the most sustained functional improvement one year following treatment.

Source:
Radiological Society of North America
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/209598.php

Andrew Janicki VTPP 434 - 502