Back Pain and Platelet Rich Plasma in a Competitive Figure Skater

back pain and platelet rich plasma

Back pain and Platelet Rich Plasma? RS is a 19 year old female figure skater who was first seen by our clinic for chronic low back pain in November of 2012. She reported a 3 year history of low back pain that was worse with skating, which she performed at a very high level (training between Canada and Colorado Springs). She also reported numbness in her leg in the L5 and S1 nerve distributions. Like some skaters she had developed a spondylolisthesis, a problem where a fracture or congenital weakness in a stabilizing section of the vertebra allows it to slip forward. The traditional treatment is surgical stabilization with fusion, which likely would have ended her career. She decided to pursue the Regenexx-DDD procedure rather than back surgery and had injection of her own platelet growth factors around the nerves as well as into her stretched ligaments. She had a procedure in November and December of 2012. She reports significant improvement in her leg numbness and back pain and is ramping up her training to continue to compete at elite levels.

NOTE:  Regenexx-DDD is a medical procedure and like all medical procedures has a success and failure rate.  Not all Regenexx-DDD patients experience the same results.

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Chris Centeno, MD is a specialist in regenerative medicine and the new field of Interventional Orthopedics. Centeno pioneered orthopedic stem cell procedures in 2005 and is responsible for a large amount of the published research on stem cell use for orthopedic applications. View Profile

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NOTE: This blog post provides general information to help the reader better understand regenerative medicine, musculoskeletal health, and related subjects. All content provided in this blog, website, or any linked materials, including text, graphics, images, patient profiles, outcomes, and information, are not intended and should not be considered or used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please always consult with a professional and certified healthcare provider to discuss if a treatment is right for you.

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