Drew Pomeranz had stem-cell injection in left elbow

soxhop411

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Red Sox LHP Drew Pomeranz had stem-cell injection in left elbow after experiencing forearm/elbow discomfort at times last season. Although he called treatment "experimental," he said pain isn't present in offseason throwing sessions.

http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-0614513620683855279-4
“@EvanDrellich: Drew Pomeranz had a stem cell injection in his elbow/forearm after the season. Uses his own bone marrow. Supposed to promote healing.”

“@PeteAbe: This is interesting. Drew Pomeranz had a stem cell injection in his elbow in October. Says his arm feels strong since he started throwing.”
“@PeteAbe: Pomeranz said the cells were taken out of his hip bone and then injected into his elbow.”
 

cheekydave

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Curious for one of the learned DRs on Sosh to opine...Hear this treatment alot, always wondered if it ever "worked"
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Curious for one of the learned DRs on Sosh to opine...Hear this treatment alot, always wondered if it ever "worked"
Not a Dr, but if Bartolo Colon had the procedure prior to the Yankees signing him (2011), he makes a pretty encouraging test subject, no?
 

iayork

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I'm pretty sure that Saito, Colon, Tanaka and others have received platelet-rich plasma treatment, not stem cell treatment. The PRP treatment is looking encouraging so far, but stem-cell treatment is newer and even less well followed up.

Edit to update: Colon had both PRP and stem cells, so there's no way of telling which (if either) helped him. Same with C.J. Nitkowski and maybe a couple dozen anonymous players. There are a number of players who have apparently received only stem cell treatment (Andrew Heaney, Garret Richards), but it's probably too soon to say whether it worked.

As far as I can tell, there's nothing in the peer-reviewed literature looking at success rates of stem cells alone; there are a handful of papers looking at PRP alone, and I found one that described combined PRP plus stem cells in one player (a 25-year old "professional baseball player" who was not named).

Of course, all we know about Pomeranz so far is from twitter, so it's possible that he also received PRP as well as stem cell.
 
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Devizier

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I'm not a doctor, but stem cell transplants do work. Well, some of them. We know bone marrow transplants (which contain hematopoetic stem cells) work. They're an essential part of leukemia radiation therapy.

In theory you could inject other stem cells in a particular "niche" and have them grow. To what end, I don't know. What they do in a joint injection is a total mystery to me, but my guess is probably "nothing".
 

Clears Cleaver

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Dombrowski must have been very down on Espinoza.

Let's hope this works and DP pitches again like he did in 2H15
 

Cesar Crespo

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Or, you know, the market for cost controlled pitchers still on the young side and in the midst of an All Star season was high.
That and SD withheld information. I'm guessing it's a combination of the 3. Espinoza is all projection at this point and it's possible his value may never be higher.
 

EricFeczko

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Apr 26, 2014
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neuroscientist, not a doctor; though it would be best to seek the advice of developmental biologists.
Unfortunately, the statement is effectively less than uninformative. Pomeranz could've claimed unicorn horn, and one should be equally skeptical of what was even used.
As Dev alludes, we have no idea what stem cells were used. As Iayork notes, we have no idea what else was provided alongside the injection. Stem cells differentiate (create new more specialized cells) depending on the cellular and moleuclar environment. Without knowing this information, the possibilities are practically infinite.
 

Plympton91

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Please tell me that's not Pomeranz's arm.

Regardless, I am moving into the camp that criticizes the decision not to rescind this trade after they were given the opportunity. They would have been in a fix for a starting pitcher down the stretch, but that pales in comparison to the disaster that will ensure if Pomeranz needs TJ at some point this year.
 

ToeKneeArmAss

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I had this procedure on a knee. The idea is that bone marrow aspirate contains stem cells, which can regenerate into whatever tissue is needed (apparently triggered by the body's healing mechanism). In my case, osteochondral cartilage. It seems to have been effective for me.

It's also used for ligament damage which seems more likely to be the case for Pomeranz.

It's not FDA approved (though it is in most countries with progressive health care systems).
 

Harry Hooper

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(AP): All-Star left-hander Drew Pomeranz and the Boston Red Sox agreed to a $4.45 million, one-year contract, avoiding a salary arbitration hearing next month.

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