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Ensuring Your Biologics Clinician is Up-to-Date: What You Should Know Part 1
Posted January 9, 2024
Biologics have emerged as a promising avenue for treating various musculoskeletal issues, but it's crucial to ensure that the clinician administering these therapies is well-versed and up-to-date.
Consider the following to guarantee your clinician’s knowledge and proficiency:
- Thorough Medical History and Examination:
Whether you're consulting with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), Doctor of Medicine (MD), Physician Assistant or Physician Associate (PA), or Nurse Practitioner (NP) for your biologic procedure, your clinician should be looking at your full medical history and conducting a comprehensive examination of the targeted joint or tissue. It is illegal in New York State for the injectionist to delegate this responsibility to someone else. - Imaging Review or Ordering:
The injectionist should review all available imaging or order the necessary and appropriate imaging if not already performed to inform the treatment plan accurately. - Guidance for Accurate Placement:
Ultrasound or x-ray guidance must be used during the injection to ensure precise placement. Studies have shown the importance of guidance, as even with easily accessible joints like the knee, the miss rate without guidance is a minimum of 35% with some studies recording a miss rate as high as 60%. - Appropriate Centrifuge for Platelet Concentration:
The centrifuge used to spin down your blood should take 15-20 minutes—not 1-2 minutes. This duration is crucial to achieving platelet concentrations in the healing range for joints and muscles. Shorter durations may result in inadequate platelet concentration, often referred to as “Fake PRP.”