Biological therapy as a treatment for sports injuries
Written by:Biologic therapy is a treatment that is based on those substances used to treat different types of organic or anatomical lesions using the body as a source of stimulating repair and treatment.
Almost ten years ago that the effectiveness of this treatment was demonstrated in different diseases of the locomotor system. Today biological therapies are one of the main directions in solving joint injuries.
There are different types of biological therapy, although the specialty of Traumatology are basically biological products most commonly used:• Platelet-rich plasma• mesenchymal stem cells
Biological therapy as a treatment for sports injuries
As for the platelet rich plasma or growth factor it is obtained from centrifuging the peripheral blood, obtaining a high concentration of platelets in plasma. This platelet-rich plasma is injected into areas of muscle, tendon or meniscal injury.
Furthermore, mesenchymal stem cells are obtained from centrifugation of bone marrow aspirate done pelvic iliac crest of, for example, rich in mesenchymal cells. This cell concentrate is able to differentiate into muscle, ligament or tendon tissue, bone and cartilage once deposited in lesions. Their differentiation depends on the type of joint lesion presents.
Usually the type of injury most suitable for treatment with platelet-rich plasma is the pathology that affects ligament, tendon or muscle:- Tendinopathies (tendinitis, tendinosis or partial tears- Ligamentous sprains and fibrillar or partial tears
The type of injury most suitable for treatment with the mesenchymal stem cells is that affects articular pathology:- Chondropathies: condromalacias or chondral ulcers- Osteonecrosis and pseudarthrosis- Tendinous or ligamentous injuries extension
What patients can undergo treatment biological therapy?
Biologic therapy is a treatment that is indicated in all patients, except for those having an infectious disease contagious acute current as well as those who present a current cancer-causing pathology.
There is no risk, or age or sex of the patient due to. If true, however, that being a therapy based on biological response, you may find differences in the intensity of the response based on these factors.
Biological therapy: Benefits
Being a biological therapy, it is very rare risks and intolerance reactions occur, not to say very rare and improbable.
Biological therapy allows modeling and individualize treatment for each patient and injury on an outpatient basis in most cases treated with rapid recovery and minimal interference in the daily lives of patients, so the return to daily activities is immediate.
This type of treatment does not preclude other therapeutic alternatives. Moreover, it is even a complementary therapy in other common processes (arthroscopy or micro arthroscopy) improving results and minimizing recovery.
Risks of biologic therapy
As this is an individualized therapy for each patient, the risks are derived from the application process, in each case, must notify the patient. That is, this treatment presents the typical risks of the process of infiltration, so it should be performed in a cleanroom suitable for this purpose. The specialist must be authorized and regulations stipulated by the Ministry of Health and the Spanish Agency of Medicines.
