New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez continues to be scrutinized as the media is always looking for evidence that A-Rod has fallen off the wagon and returned to using anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing drugs. Such is the life of a high-profile celebrity athlete especially one that has admitted using steroids in the past.
Rodriguez wanted to seek treatment involving a type of platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP) called Orthokine from a doctor in Germany. He wanted to faciliate the continued recovery of his knee after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to repair a slight meniscus tear in July 2011.
This type of therapy involves the injection of specific protein components of the patients blood into the injured body part in order to stimulate tissue repair. The isolated proteins reportedly have anti-inflammatory properties.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the use of PRP in the United States. But Orthokine has not been licensed as an approved biologic by the FDA. FDA approval or disapproval of a medical therapy doesn’t necessarily guarantee that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will permit athletes to use it.
Due to the ongoing hysteria regarding doping in sports, the controversial therapy had to go through many levels of vetting in order to determine if the procedure could be considered “doping” under MLB’s steroid policy and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations.
The sports media is especially suspicious of Alex Rodriguez due to his 2009 admission of using anabolic steroids in 2003 when he played for the Texas Rangers. Sports Illustrated reported that Rodriguez tested positive for testosterone and Primobolan when Major League Baseball administered “non-disciplinary and anonymous” testing for the first time in 2003.
A-Rod’s involvement with Canadian doctor Anthony Galea has further raised suspicions about his use of a foreign doctor to administer a controversial medical procedure. Galea was a sports medicine pioneer with PRP before he was indicted on drug smuggling charges.
Galea pleaded guilty to illegally smuggling human growth hormone (hGH) and Actovegin into the United States. Some athletes have claimed he provided hGH to them to help with soft tissue injuries. However, Galea claimed he only provided A-Rod with anti-inflammatory medications.
Alex Rodriguez ultimately received the Orthokine treatment from Dr. Peter Wehling at the Center for Orthopaedics and Molecular Medicine in Düsseldorf (Germany) after he received the blessing of the Yankees organization.
Gary Green, the MLB medical director, acknowledged being consulted about the procedure by the Yankees medical staff. But the MLB does not formally approve or disapprove of any specific procedure or medication. They only offer guidance and opinions.
The Yankees and Rodriguez obviously felt comfortable with the MLB’s opinion of Orthokine.
Source:
Keh, A. (December 28, 2011). Yankees Were Aware Rodriguez Sought Medical Treatment in Germany. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/29/sports/baseball/yankees-knew-rodriguez-was-treated-in-germany.html
