It’s a sign of a good study when the results surprise the researcher.
Dr. Gregory Lutz was not sure what to expect four years ago when he initiated a double-blind randomized controlled trial at the Hospital for Special Surgery to see whether platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy could help patients with chronic low back pain caused by torn discs.
The study participants were a very hard-to-treat group: people who had suffered years of low back pain, had tried all the standard nonsurgical treatments, and were facing spinal fusion surgery as their last option.
Of those who received PRP, 60 percent had significant improvements in terms of pain, function, and satisfaction. Some were cured.
“Some people were 100 percent improved. … It’s truly a cure if you can get the tear to heal,” said Dr. Lutz, physiatrist-in-chief emeritus at the Hospital for Special Surgery, with practices on the Upper East Side and Princeton, New Jersey.
