Jefferson University Hospitals

Peter DeLuca, MD, used platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy to treat the elbow injury of Philadelphia Eagles long-snapper Jon Dorenbos. "Platelets are like the EMTs of the body. They are the first cells that go to any injury," Dr. DeLuca told the Inquirer. "In those platelets are growth factors, which are the chemical compounds that enhance healing or start the cascade of healing in our bodies. It only makes sense that injecting a high concentration of them into a damaged area would help enhance its healing."
 
This week's, Philadelphia Inquirer Health and Science section cover story was on the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy. Peter DeLuca, MD, Head Team Physician and Head Orthopedic Surgeon for the Philadelphia Eagles and sports medicine specialist with the Rothman Institute at Jefferson, recently used the therapy with Philadelphia Eagles long-snapper Jon Dorenbos.
 
Another patient of Dr. DeLuca, Peter Kleiner, participated in a research study of the treatment and was treated successfully for “golfer's elbow” with PRP.
 
"It was like nothing. It seemed only 10 minutes -- drawing the blood, spinning it, injecting it back in, giving me some ice," Peter told the Inquirer about the procedure. "I had the procedure on Monday, and I was back out on the golf course on Wednesday."
 
Read the Inquirer Story