The Human Genome Project will revolutionize treatment of sports
injuries in the near future, according to two PAMF orthopedic
surgeons specializing in sports medicine, Colin Eakin and Arthur
Ting, who will appear in a new segment of "Sutter Health Presents,"
a medical talk show produced by Sutter Health and KPIX-TV Channel 5.
Advances in sports medicine will benefit both amateur and
professional athletes, Dr. Eakin said. "There's a lot of information
in the show that is relevant to anyone who's active," he said.
One particular focus of the show is cartilage regeneration. "All
human genes are currently being discovered by Genome Project
scientists including the gene regulating cartilage. That gene is
'turned off' in adulthood," Dr. Eakin said.
"If we figure out how to turn it back on, we have another way to
regenerate cartilage and help people with cartilage damage return to
sports."
The show covers exercise, injury prevention and the latest
orthopedic advancements, according to Dr. Eakin. It also features
stories of two injured athletes making a comeback marathon runner
Steve Woo and hockey player Gary Suter.
Woo had sheared off large pieces of cartilage on the underside of
his left kneecap, or patella, and in the groove of the femur where
the patella rides, according to Dr. Eakin. "The cartilage was
sheared all the way down to the bone. It looked like a huge divot.
It was bone on bone."
To repair the knee, Dr. Eakin performed a procedure known as
microfracture, in which tiny holes ("microfractures") are created in
the bone area where the cartilage is defective. The underlying bone
marrow seeps out through the holes and becomes part of a blood clot
that forms over the area. The marrow contains stem cells, which have
the ability to transform themselves into any cells in the body. The
stem cells form replacement cartilage between the bare-bone surfaces
of the knee.
After 20 weeks of rigorous rehabilitation, Woo started training
for his first post-operative marathon. A little more than 10 months
after his surgery, he ran in the 1999 San Francisco Marathon,
finishing with a time good enough to qualify for the prestigious
Boston Marathon, which he ran in April.
"The procedure worked beyond our wildest dreams," Dr. Eakin said.
Suter, who plays defense with the San Jose Sharks, had a ruptured
triceps (upper arm) tendon that had become infected, according to
Dr. Eakin. He was told he would not play hockey again.
Suter's career was saved by a remarkable new transplant
procedure, performed by Dr. Ting. "Dr. Ting used a donated Achilles
tendon for transplantation and Suter is back playing hockey," Dr.
Eakin said.
Sutter Health Presents:
'Healing the Body in Motion'
The next program in the
continuing Sutter Health Presents series, "Healing the Body in
Motion," will be broadcast on Channel 5, July 18 at 7 p.m.
In addition to PAMF physicians Colin Eakin and Arthur Ting,
participants include: Drs. Warren Strudwick and Michael Hebrard,
Alta Bates Medical Center; Dr. Robert Gomez, Sutter Solano Medical
Center; Dr. Jeffrey Halbrecht, California Pacific Medical Center;
and Dr. Arron O'Grady, Mills-Peninsula Health Services.
