HJBR May/Jun 2025

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  MAY / JUN 2025 33 Stephen Etheredge, MD, is a board-certified sports medicine specialist at Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic. He earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Florida State University and a medical degree from St. Matthew’s University before completing a family medicine residency at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. He further specialized through a sports medicine fellowship at Baton Rouge General. Etheredge serves as the medical director and head team physician for Louisiana State University Athletics and works with local sports organizations. He is a regenerative medicine specialist offering a variety of up-to-date regenerative and biologic medicine treatments. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a proce- dure that takes your own blood and refines it down to the platelet-rich portion for injec- tion treatments. It was originally used in the 1970s as a treatment for thrombocytopenia. Initially, the applications were very mini- mal; however, it has become more widely used over the past couple of decades. It was not until the early 2000s that it began being used in orthopedic and musculoskeletal medicine. Since that time, its use has grown significantly, especially for musculoskeletal and sports medicine purposes. My first experience with PRP occurred early in my training. During residency in 2009, I was working with a mentor who had just started performing platelet-rich plasma treatments. At that time, we were very excited about the potential applica- tions, but knew very little about the best way to move forward with these injections. The idea of using a patient’s own blood to help heal medical conditions was revolutionary. Unfortunately, some of the early experi- ences were met with lower-than-expected results. As is the case with many treatments, we had to fine-tune where, when, and how to use PRP. Over the past 25 years, I have contin- ued to grow my knowledge and practice in the use of biologic treatments such as PRP, and it has become a significant part of my current practice. The applications are very common in sports medicine for a variety of sprains, strains, joint injuries, and overuse injuries. I have used PRP in a variety of dif- ferent locations throughout the body. It has also become an important part of the treat- ment discussion for more long-term degen- erative conditions, and I use it in patients of all ages. The way the process works is fairly sim- ple. On the day of the procedure, patients do not need to fast, nor does it require any sedation or anesthesia. We are able to draw their blood in the clinic and then, using a special centrifuge, filter the blood down. The technology has become much more advanced over the past 20 years, to the point where the procedure takes only about 30minutes, and the blood draw is 30 cc or less. There are different types of PRP with varying concentrations of platelets and white blood cells for different body parts and situations. Depending on the location of the injection, many are performed under ultrasound guidance in the clinic. PRP has been used to treat conditions such as tendinitis, ligament sprains, mus- cle strains, osteoarthritis, and many other applications. It has become a good option for patients with chronic, nagging injuries that do not heal, conditions that are not amenable to surgery either due to patient restrictions or preference, and even for some acute injuries related to sports and activity. Through practice and product improvement, we have found this to be a very effective treatment for many patients — often those who have failed multiple other conservative and, at times, even surgical interventions. It is very safe and, when used appropriately, can be quite effective. With all of that having been stated, what is the drawback to PRP? Frommy perspec- tive, there is really only one major issue: PRP is currently not covered by most insurance policies. In fact, in Louisiana, only work- ers’ compensation and TRICARE currently covers PRP, and even then, only for limited conditions. This is something we need to change. PRP has met some fair scrutiny in the past, as it is not a cure-all. That said, it does work for many conditions. It is a safe, noninvasive treatment that, when used correctly, has helped many individuals. It is unfortunate that there are many who do not get to experience the benefits. n Stephen Etheredge, MD Sports Medicine Specialist Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic