Local doctors are beginning to use a new technique that uses a patient’s own blood to make a powerful healing mixture. It’s safe, easy and in many cases, it can help a patient avoid surgery.
Jody Trierweiler loves her job as a fitness instructor, but last summer she started having trouble making it through her classes. Pain in her ankle was interfering with her life and her ability to make a living.
“I noticed in between teaching I was limping. So I was dealing with a lot of pain and swelling.”
Jody injured her ankle as a cheerleader in college and continued to re-injure it in the years since.
“I knew I wasn’t going to be able to keep teaching unless I did something.”
So she went to see Providence podiatrist, Dr. Harvey Lefkowitz. After ordering an MRI, he determined the tendon which glides behind her ankle bone was frayed.
It should glide smoothly in its sheath, instead it had rough edges and pieces coming off it. It was not likely to get better on its own.
Dr. Lefkowitz said, “The likely outcome would have been more fraying of the tendon just like a rope becomes frayed and eventually they tear and a ruptured tendon of course is always a surgical problem.”
Steroid injections have typically been used in cases like Jody’s but –
“When the tendon is frayed you run the risk of actually rupturing the tendon when you give a steroid injection.”
So Dr. Lefkowitz suggested a new treatment called platelet rich plasma which is being used to help heal tissue.
The tissue is harvested from the patient’s own blood and the blood is put in a machine with a special centrifuge that helps to spin off the platelet cells.
“…which are rich in growth factor. Then those cells are put in a syringe and placed into the patients injured tissue with an injection.”
This can be done along with a surgical procedure, but Dr. Lefkowitz is primarily using it as a stand-alone treatment in cases like Jody’s – and for patients with heel pain.
“These are patients who have failed some more traditional treatments like casting, immobilization or other types of anti-inflammatories before going to surgery which is much more invasive.”
Jody had the procedure done in August and took it easy for two weeks. In 90 percent of cases there is a cure with one injection. Occasionally two or three are needed. Jody can’t believe the results.
“It’s nothing short of miraculous. I didn’t expect results like this,” she said.
