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Recovery from a sports injury, orthopedic surgery or certain chronic conditions like arthritis can be further enhanced using the body’s own tools to promote healing.

At NYU Langone’s Center for Regenerative Medicine, orthopedists treat thousands of patients each year with biologics, a class of medicines created from living culture systems — even your own blood. They can be particularly effective for patients dealing with chronic pain who have had little success with conventional therapies or medications, or for whom no other options exist.

“The human body has tremendous healing potential on its own,” says Guillem Gonzalez-Lomas, MD, associate professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and a member of the Center for Regenerative Medicine. “Biologics give an added jolt to the body’s own healing mechanisms, particularly when it seems recovery has reached a plateau.”

Biologics activate certain proteins or cells in your immune system to create specific responses to targeted areas or injuries, stimulating the body to heal, regrow tissue and reduce inflammation. Most biologics can be administered in two ways: intravenously (through an IV) or by injection into body tissue, such as a joint or muscle where pain persists.

One of the most popular biologics used in regenerative medicine is platelet-rich plasma, or PRP. PRP consists of two key elements: plasma (the liquid portion of the blood) and platelets, a type of blood cell that plays an important role throughout the body. Platelets release substances known as growth factors, which expedite healing and recovery. PRP is derived from a patient’s own blood, which is broken down for the biologic elements needed to create PRP.

Biologics have grown in popularity largely due to more people participating in regular exercise regimens and because people are living longer and experiencing increasing pain due to inflammatory ailments like arthritis and bursitis.

“We see a lot of patients with lingering issues like tennis elbow, for which PRP has shown to be very helpful,” Gonzalez-Lomas says. “It also has been beneficial in managing pain associated with arthritis in the knee, a common chronic condition in seniors. PRP has a high concentration of cytokines, which attacks inflammation, a major contributing factor to musculoskeletal pain.”

He points out that there is little risk involved in PRP therapy because it is derived from a patient’s own blood. In fact, the biggest risk is preventing infection around the injection site. “While there can be a significant clinical benefit,” he says, “so long as the injections are administered in a sterile environment, there is little downside to PRP.”

As regenerative medicine grows in popularity, Gonzalez-Lomas and his colleagues are continuing to study the best protocols for administering biologics. “There has been some consensus that, for example, knee arthritis might require more than one treatment,” he says.

”In many situations, it will depend on the injury or ailment, the patient’s initial response to their first injection, and whether additional injections may have therapeutic benefit.”

The future is bright as biologics continues to play a key role in orthopedics. “We do a lot of structural repair in this department, including joint reconstruction and replacement,” he says. “But our goal is to treat the entire musculoskeletal system, and that includes tendon and muscle pain, which doesn’t require surgery. Biologics are creating new avenues to address these issues.”

The Sports Health experts at NYU Langone have the multi-specialty expertise to provide coordinated, comprehensive care for all types of athletes. As an official healthcare partner, Life Time can offer its members exclusive direct and easy access to NYU Langone’s world-class orthopedic specialists and performance experts, who can help you meet your health and fitness goals. Schedule an in-person appointment or video visit with a Sports Health expert.

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