We were thrilled to have Dr Isagani Leal visit from Manilla, Philippines. Dr Leal completed his residency training in Tel Aviv, Israel and specializes in non-surgical orthopaedics utilizing musculoskeletal ultrasound. Of great interest, Dr Leal is the first Dr that I am
aware of who utilizes ultrasound guided acupuncture known as “Intramuscular stimulation.” Developed by Dr Chan Gun, this practice emphasizes that tendon injuries are a result of shortened & contracted muscles. For example if someone has achilles tendon pain, the shortened muscles of the calf & tibialis posterior must be relaxed. Dr Leal palpates the shortened muscle and marks a spot that reproduces pain in the patient. Afterwards Dr Leal uses ultrasound to look into the muscle & inserts an acupuncture like needle into the muscle belly & illicits a “twitch.” The patient perceives a brief pulse known as “Qi (chi)” The needle is left in for 3 minutes then removed & heat is provided with ultrasound. According to Dr Leal patients need 2 treatments one wk apart & may have tremendous relief.
I must admit the idea is interesting having an acupuncture background myself. However this theory may influence us to consider injecting not only the tendon that is damaged but simultaneously relaxing the affected muscle. This phenomenon may also explain why some tendon injuries don’t respond appropriately when treated.
We may have learned more from Dr Leal than he from us! Many thanks to our kind patients who allowed Dr Leal to observe various procedures for the week! We hope to collaborate with Dr Leal in PRP research together.
Dr Sampson
Last week after our visit from Japanese Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr Sobajima, we were honored to have Dr Betul Turan of Turkey visit us. Dr Turan is a Physiatrist who specializes in non-surgical orthopaedics. Her husband is an Orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in cartilage regeneration & repair. Together they are creating a state of the art Regenerative Medicine clinic in Orthopaedics. Dr Turan observed numerous cases including platelet rich plasma injections utilizing ultrasound guidance. In 2009 we had numerous Dr’s from across the world including Canada, Australia, Korea, Japan, Turkey and others observe procedures for training.
We were thrilled to have Satoshi Sobajima MD, an orthopaedic surgeon from Osaka Japan visit last week. Dr Sobajima spent time at the University of Pittsburg doing progressive research in regenerative medicine. Using stem cells, gene therapy, & PRP Dr Sobajima studied regeneration of intervertebral discs of the spine in animal models. Currently Dr Sobajima is looking at PRP & stem cells to regenerate cortical bone in Rabbit Femurs. This research could potentially influence surgical protocol around the world as we look for more cost effective, safer, and natural based alternatives. Dr Sobajima will be presenting his data at the Regenerative Medicine conference in Hiroshima in March 2010. Dr Steven Sampson will also be discussing his knee arthritis study and PRP experiences in Japan.
discusses Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy. Overall there is a consensus that the treatment is promising, however more controlled studies are needed. Over the last 3 years there has been an increased awareness with this treatment. While the research is being conducted (which takes years to complete & publish), it’s good to see that Harvard recognizes that many patients are inquiring about this treatment in orthobiologics.
Congratulations to our patient who rallied to beat a tendon injury & raised money and awareness to support research for Multiple Sclerosis. MS affects many Americans and can cause significant disability. However with progressive research doctors are coming up with new approaches including stem cell therapies to change the way we are thinking about this condition.
