(NATIONAL NEWS NOW) Cindy Cartmell says after hitting age 40, she found that her energy levels, sleep patterns and weight made huge shifts in the wrong direction.

“I had gone to my doctor, I had talked to my obstetrician a number of times over the year and just really could not find the key to success,” said Cartmell.

That was until she met with Dr. Bright McConnell – he specializes in targeting a women’s hormonal changes by taking a detailed evaluation of the patient through blood work and other tests and by using bio-identical hormone replacement therapy medication.

Read more and view the video

Physician Keeps Players on the Field and out of the Operating Room

PRP is becoming a regular term in the baseball world. Bartolo Colon of the Oakland A’s and New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez are 2 MLB players to recently undergo the procedure.

As a result, Charleston Sports Medicine is seeing enormous interest in Platelet Rich Plasma therapy (PRP) among athletes. College of Charleston long relief pitcher, Nick Osterman, is one baseball player that is thankful he chose PRP over the traditional “tommyjohn” surgery. He states, “I threw a fast ball. I knew the instant I tore the ligament in my elbow that something was wrong. I consulted with Dr. Bright McConnell, III from Charleston Sports Medicine, and he suggested I try PRP instead of surgery.”

Less aggressive and less expensive than surgery, PRP therapy uses a patient’s own plasma to trigger a healing cascade. Unlike steroid injections for joint pain relief from injuries like torn ligaments, PRP is proven to actually heal injured tendons, ligaments and tissue. States Ostermann, “It is a great alternative to surgery. My velocity is back. I am throwing as hard as I was before.”

Charleston Sports Medicine specializes in the Orthobiologics treatment known as “platelet rich plasma” or PRP. PRP is blood plasma with concentrated platelets. Dr. McConnell explains, “The concentrated platelets found in PRP contain large reservoirs of bioactive proteins, including growth factors that are vital to initiate and accelerate tissue repair and regeneration. These bioactive proteins initiate connective tissue healing: bone, tendon and ligament regeneration and repair, promote development of new blood vessels, and stimulate the wound healing process.”

To prepare PRP, a small amount of blood is taken from the patient. The blood is placed in a centrifuge, which spins and automatically produces the PRP. The entire process takes less than 15 minutes and increases the concentration of platelets and growth factors up to 500%.

When PRP is injected under ultrasound guidance into the damaged area it stimulates the tendon or ligament, causing mild inflammation that triggers the healing cascade. As a result new collagen begins to develop. As this collagen matures it begins to shrink causing the tightening and strengthening of the tendons or ligaments of the damaged area.
Osterman recommends PRP for any athlete that wants to recover from an injury without a grueling recovery process. He states, “Without the PRP shot, I do not think I would be playing baseball right now. I have recommended it to a few of my teammates. It was less invasive, less expensive and got me back out on the field much quicker than traditional surgery.”

Local runners, docs weigh in on lawsuit against popular Vibram FiveFingers shoes
Local runners and fitness buffs weren’t happy to hear about a class-action lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court claiming that Vibram USA Inc. and Vibram FiveFingers LLC used deceptive and misleading statements about the benefits of barefoot running.

I asked them via Facebook, and some runners compared it to a well-known lawsuit.

Read the entire article->

For C of C pitcher, new treatment worked

In the summer of 2010, Nick Osterman was pitching for the Forest City Owls of the Coastal Plains League. With two out in the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Thomasville Hi-Toms, he threw a fastball for strike three and felt something give in his right elbow.

“It was like a tearing-away sensation,” said Osterman, a fifth-year senior at College of Charleston. “It felt like there was a needle in my elbow.”

Osterman, a graduate of Stratford High School, had suffered a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. That injury sometimes requires repair through what is known as “Tommy John surgery.” Normal recovery time: One year.

“I wanted to get on the field for my senior year,” Osterman said. “I didn’t want to do surgery and sit out a year.”

Instead, Osterman opted for a relatively new treatment known as platelet-rich plasma, or P.R.P. On July 31, 2010, Dr. Bright McConnell of Charleston Sports Medicine withdrew some of Osterman’s own blood and spun it in a centrifuge, concentrating platelets and growth factors up to 500 percent. The P.R.P. was then injected into Osterman’s torn ligament, the goal to promote growth and healing.

Read the entire article->

Your body fat, muscle, and overall body composition all play in role in athletics and how you play your game. Now a cutting-edge X-ray procedure is being used to help athletes, and professional and amateur golfers in particular are taking a swing at it.

Read More

PRP stands for Platelet Rich Plasma. Plasma is the liquid aspect of our blood. It houses all the cellular components such as red and white blood cells, as well as platelets. Platelets naturally make up only 10% of our blood’s cellular components. In PRP, the platelet ratio is flipped to 90% platelets. Therefore, PRP is plasma rich in platelets.

What is PRP therapy?

PRP is a progressive non-surgical healing treatment used in the field of non-surgical orthopaedics and sports medicine. When injected into an affected area, PRP speeds healing. PRP is your own blood modified in a way to produce mega doses of your body’s own healing “ingredients” that are stored in our platelets. The medical term for these ingredients is called Growth Factors.

Am I a candidate?

Dr. McConnell will assess each patient and determine whether PRP is an effective course of treatment. Soft tissue injuries are the most responsive to PRP. This includes tendonitis, tendinosis, tendon tears, ligament sprains or tears, loose ligaments, and muscle tears. PRP has also been effective at treating cartilage degeneration such as arthritis as well as labrum tears in joints. Injuries not within these parameters are best treated with surgery and/or physician therapy.

What is the PRP treatment?

First, approximately one hour prior to patient’s scheduled PRP therapy, the patient’s blood is collected and then spun in a centrifuge specifically designed to concentrate platelets for PRP purposes. Second, topical and injected local anesthetic is provided to the affected region. Third, the needle is advanced in real time under musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSKUS) guidance, until the problem target site is reached. There is excellent visualization on MSKUS as the PRP flows into the affected region within 2mm proximity of the anatomical abnormality.

What Conditions Are Commonly Treated With PRP?

Knee:
Patellar Tendinitis, Patellar Femoral Syndrome, chondromalacia patella, partially torn or strained major ligaments of knee (ACL/LCL/MCL), meniscus tears, arthritis, patellar instability

Hip:
IIliotibial Band Tendinitis (ITB Syndrome), Psoas Tendinitis and bursitis, Greater Trochanteric Bursitis, Hip labrum tears, Piriformis Syndrome, Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction, arthritis

Shoulder:
Rotator Cuff Tendinitis or Tear, Rotator Cuff Impingement Syndrome or Bursitis, Bicipital Tendinitis, labrum tears, arthritis, instability

Wrist/Hand:
DeQuervaine’s Tenosynovitis, arthritis, other wrist or finger tendinitis, ligament tears or dysfunction of the fingers

Elbow:
Elbow tendonitis and epicondylitis, arthritis

Ankle/Foot:
Achilles Tendinitis, Peroneal Tendinitis, arthritis, recurrent ankle sprains, other foot or ankle tendinitis

Does PRP heal injuries?

Unlike Cortisone shots, PRP actually heals the injured region.

Growth Factors are released from large quantities of activated platelets at the site of injury. This leads to an induced inflammatory reaction that initiates a powerful effective healing cascade. Growth factors stimulate blood flow, promote matrix formation which is the “groundwork” of all soft tissue, restore tendon and ligamentous proteins that may have been previously compromised, and “toughen up” cartilage to become more firm and resilient.

How many treatments do you need?

One to three treatments depending on the degree of injury and how long the injury has been there. In some instances, a fourth treatment is provided.

How far apart are treatments spaced?

Typically 4-6 weeks if indicated.

Is PRP covered by insurance?

Only a portion of PRP is covered by insurance. Call 843-284-5200 to receive a quote.

How long does it take the PRP to “work”?

Most patients notice some element of improvement by 2-6 weeks after PRP.

Register for this webinar!

Plasma rich platelets, or PRP, is an emerging treatment in the orthobiologics field. As opposed to invasive, surgical treatment solutions, PRP combines technology and the body’s natural ability to heal itself from within.

Athletes of all ages are turning to this method of treatment because it provides patients with a non surgical option for their sports injuries.

Dr. Bright McConnell is bringing PRP to Charleston Sports Medicine because it provides patients with less invasive treatment options.  He states, “Orthobiologics and PRP sound very complicated, but it is a simple approach. We let the injury heal itself, such as a tendon injury, without undergoing the trauma of surgery.”

Typical PRP procedures begin with a blood draw. Once the blood is drawn, platelets are removed and then injected into an injured tendon to jumpstart the healing process. States Dr. McConnell, “We are allowing the body the opportunity to heal itself. Studies have shown that this procedure has proven to be an especially effective treatment for sports injuries.

Read more about PRP and patient experiences in Post&Courier’s article “Your Health” Platelet-Rich Plasma Debated as Treatment for Joints, Tendons”. Interested in PRP as a treatment option for your pain? Call Charleston Sports Medicine at (843) 284-5200