The Heritage Medical Center team discusses a new option in orthopaedic surgeries.

Dr. Philip Elizondo, Orthopaedic Surgeon, has brought a revolutionary new treatment option to patients in this community by performing a procedure called Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections. Dr. Elizondo, Daniel Enroth, APRN, and the surgery team at Heritage Medical Center performed the first ever procedure in the state of Tennessee, offering a minimally invasive option to a patient who had previously been told there was no surgical option available for a painful, non-union clavicale fracture that in two-years had failed to heal.

    “This treatment is one we performed routinely in Dallas,” said Elizondo, “and offers an 80% success rate to the patient. It’s a safe, effective, minimally-invasive treatment option that, for some patients, offers an alternative to an invasive surgical procedure.”

The process is simple. Just prior to the procedure, both blood and bone marrow are taken from the patient. While under anesthesia, the bone marrow is easily extracted from the patient’s hip bone and then combined with the blood. At that point, the combination of blood and bone marrow are processed in the Magellan Autologous Platelet Separator. The end product is a high concentration of platelet rich blood cells which contain growth factors and the patient’s own stem cells which are crucial for the formation of bone and healing of the fracture. This therapy is neither risky nor controversial because these products are taken directly from the patient; concentrated; and then given right back to the patient making it very low risk and high reward.

The platlet-rich plasma injections are an effective alternate to invasive surgeries.

PRP injections are often used in sports medicine as an effective treatment for ligament and tendon injuries. The body’s normal response to injury is the release of growth factors to speed the healing process. PRP injections help the body regenerate and heal by harnessing growth factors in a person’s own blood, concentrating it and injecting it into the part that needs to be repaired.

Philip Elizondo, M.D., board certified in orthopaedic surgery, has more than 30 years of experience and specializes in arthroscopic surgery, joint replacement and trauma cases. He received his undergraduate training at the University of Houston in Texas. Dr. Elizondo completed his medical school and internships in community medicine and family practice at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He completed his orthopaedic surgery residencies at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth and Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio. Dr. Elizondo’s training includes service in the military and as a former team physician for Texas A&M University.  Family brought him to Tennessee where he has been on the medical staff at Heritage Medical Center since March, 2009. His practice, Shelbyville Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, is located in Suite 100 of the Heritage Medical Plaza on the hospital campus.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Elizondo, call 931-685-8770.