Classical Pianist Regains Use of his Hands After Injury

Twenty-year-old Marius Tesch is a classical pianist who studies in the prestigious studio of Laurent Boukobza, professor and chair of piano studies at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Tesch has been playing piano since age five with a rigorous practice schedule of four to eight hours daily. His longtime dream has always been to become a concert pianist and to teach music to college students.

In February 2010, Tesch fell and landed on his hands while walking to class, which could have been a devastating roadblock in his quest to his reaching his dream. Unfortunately, he suffered severe pain in both wrists, was unable to play the piano or open a jar and had difficulty turning the key to start his car. In addition, he was unable to use a computer or mouse, and had to depend on his computer’s speech recognition program.

“I was depressed and devastated that my dreams of becoming a concert pianist were over,” said Tesch. “I had to change my major from music to history, believing that I would never play concert piano again.”

Tesch consulted with several physicians to try to obtain a prognosis, but none of the doctors could properly diagnose the injury to his wrists. He was told by an orthopedist that he had an overuse injury and was given cortisone injections. Another doctor advised him to rest, use ice, and take anti-inflammatory medications to alleviate the pain. When the pain did not subside, Tesch went to a chiropractor who used therapeutic techniques such as ultrasound stimulation to help reduce the inflammation. He received some relief, but was still unable to play the piano at a performance level.

In September 2010, eight months after his injury, Tesch found Alan Lazar, MD, FACS (www.dralanlazar.com) on the Internet. Dr. Lazar is an orthopedic surgeon in Plantation, Fla., who specializes in a breakthrough non-surgical treatment called Regenerative Injection Therapy with platelet rich plasma (PRP). Regenerative Injection Therapy is a treatment option for orthopedic injuries and conditions that have traditionally required surgery or other extensive treatments.

Regenerative Injection Therapy involves extracting a minimal amount of a patient’s own blood and placing it in a centrifuge, which spins the blood at a high speed to separate it into components. Dr. Lazar then injects the fluid into an injured area or an arthritic joint, which releases bioactive tissue growth factors. These growth factors lead to improved natural tissue healing. For example, when platelets are injected into an arthritic joint with cartilage damage, the new collagen stimulates the growth of cartilage.

Depending on the condition or treatment plan, Dr. Lazar may also recommend using a patient’s stem cells that are extracted from the patient’s own bone marrow or abdominal fat. The stem cells are filtered, cleansed, and then injected into an arthritic joint. PRP stimulates the body’s own stem cells to go to the injured area and make new cartilage to create a natural healing process. Because Tesch is young, and his body manufactures many natural stem cells, he did not need the additional stem cell treatment.

Tesch drove to Plantation from Orlando to visit Dr. Lazar, who examined his wrists and performed an ultrasound. He determined that there were tears in some of the tendons in each wrist.

Tesch was thrilled that he finally had a diagnosis. Dr. Lazar was the only doctor he had seen who could actually identify the tendon tears by using more sophisticated ultrasound imaging.

“I’ve had success treating many injuries similar to Tesch’s, and I felt that he was a good candidate for the PRP treatment,” said Dr. Lazar.

Dr. Lazar placed three injections into the affected tendons in the right wrist and three injections into the left wrist. Within one week, Tesch felt a major improvement in his left wrist. He had no pain and could more easily move his hand and fingers. Four weeks after the treatment, Tesch’s right wrist began to feel remarkably better.

Tesch’s condition has improved so much that he has been able to resume his rigorous practice schedule and will soon be performing with ensembles performing contemporary compositions at UCF.

“I am thrilled because I can now pursue my dreams as a concert pianist and music professor,” said Tesch. “I’m doing so well that I re-registered to resume my music major at UCF.”

This is truly a miracle, according to Tesch. He has the highest regard for Dr. Lazar who has helped him to regain the use of his hands and return to his love of the piano. 

A $1.3 million anti-doping research grant includes focus on “blood spinning."

Last week, the Associated Press released a story about a group funded by the NFL and US Olympic Committee awarding $1.3 million in grants for anti-doping research. The research includes a project to study how “blood spinning” therapy – or Regenerative Injection Therapy as we call it – might help athletes.

Regenerative Injection Therapy involves using platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections with stem cells from fat. PRP is extracted using a patient’s own blood, similar to a lab test. The blood is placed in a special machine that spins the blood at high speeds and separates the platelets from the other blood components. The platelets are then concentrated and re-injected into the injured area or arthritic joint. In turn, the platelets release substances known as growth factors that lead to improved natural tissue healing.

Previously, PRP treatments had been banned when injected through the muscles. The World Anti-Doping Agency recently removed them from the banned list after studies showed the injections offered no possibility of performance enhancement.

In my opinion, the concern over PRP muscle injections is an overreaction to the anti-doping rule. PRP is not known to build muscle. It is known to heal damaged muscle tissue. I have performed over 1,000 Regenerative Injection Therapy with PRP treatments. The Therapy has great benefit.

Elite athletes and weekend warriors need to get back on the field, track, tennis court or golf course or in the pool as soon as possible. What needs to be studied is the ideal concentration for various ages and injuries to optimize results and minimize downtime.

I also believe that studies need to be conducted on the efficacy of using PRP for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Check back for more thoughts on that, and as always, please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question.

Pitcher’s elbow can be treated with Platelet Rich Plasma to Avoid Surgery

Recently, two college baseball pitchers came to me complaining of pain in their elbows. Prior to seeing me, several sports medicine orthopedic doctors had them undergo MRIs, but the tests came back negative. The presumptive diagnosis was over use stress of the ulna collateral ligaments (UCL). The team’s trainer heard of my success with treating many athletes with various sports injuries and brought them to me for evaluation. In addition to MRI, I use ultrasound to help with difficult diagnoses. It was my opinion that the pitchers developed partial tears in their UCL, and the ultrasound confirmed my thoughts.

Tears in the UCL are commonly known as Pitcher’s Elbow because repetitive throwing puts an excessive strain on the tendons and ligaments in the elbow. Pain usually develops on the inner side of the elbow. Your elbow joint may feel like it locks or gets stuck, and it may be difficult to move the elbow as you did before. This condition negatively affects pitching performance.

I am very excited about the positive results that I am seeing on sports injuries, including pitchers elbow, with the use of Regenerative Injection Therapy. This is a treatment option for orthopedic injuries and conditions that have traditionally required surgery or other extensive treatments. Many athletes are coming to my office to be treated for various sports injuries that would normally require surgery and keep them on the bench for up to one year. PRP involves extracting a minimal amount of the patient’s own blood, spinning it in a centrifuge to separate the blood into components, and re-injecting the fluid into the injured area or an arthritic joint. This releases bioactive tissue growth factors that lead to improved natural tissue healing and the growth of new cartilage.

Very often, when pitchers develop tears in their UCL, they are recommended for a surgical procedure called Tommy John surgery. Named after a professional baseball pitcher, Tommy John surgery is a surgical reconstruction of elbow ligaments that are often torn in baseball pitchers. This procedure requires that the injured athlete be out of commission for one year.

After the PRP treatment, I advised the college pitchers that they could resume pitching again in two weeks, but only throwing at 50% of their normal speed. They will gradually increase their speed over six weeks and return to their game.

Athletes are thrilled with the outcomes from PRP treatment because it allows them to return to their game quickly after injury and helps them to avoid surgery. If you are experiencing pitchers elbow or joint pain, I would be happy to evaluate you to determine whether you are a candidate for the incredible new treatment.