North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: Horner's 'New Knees' Feel Great
11/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
RALEIGH, N.C. – For the first time since he was a junior in high school, NC State men's basketball player Dennis Horner is jumping without pain. He's running in practice and in games without facing hours of ice packs and rehab.
"I feel like I am 100 percent out there," Horner said.
The senior forward for coach Sidney Lowe's Wolfpack is playing pain-free thanks to a cutting edge medical procedure he had on both knees this summer, at the same time he had a floating piece of bone removed from his right knee.
The procedure, known as a platelet-rich plasma injection, was done by team physician Robert Wyker of Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic. The relatively simple procedure requires a small amount of blood be extracted from a patient and put into a high-speed centrifuge to extract platelet-rich plasma, which contains regenerative proteins that help develop new blood vessels.
It is particularly effective in treating tendinitis and tendinosis, which are both caused by poor blow flow to tendons in the knees, elbows and other joints. It also helps muscle injuries heal faster, cutting recovery time in some injuries from six to three weeks, which is huge in the world of sports medicine.
Horner has suffered from tendinitis since his senior year at Holy Spirit High School in Linwood, N.J. It did not cause problems during his freshman year, but as a sophomore and junior at NC State, Horner has been in constant pain.
"On a scale of 1 to 10, it was usually about a 9 or a 10," said Horner, who has averaged 4.8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game during his career. "When you try to play like that, you are not getting your full capability in anything. Every time you jump, it hurts. You try not to think about it, but you can't help it.
"Ever since I can remember, it seems like, I have had problems jumping, moving sideways, making cuts and stuff like that."
But, heading into this weekend's Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona, Fla., Horner's knees feel better than they have in years. The Pack opens play at 3:30 p.m. against Akron at Ocean Center Arena and will play Austin-Peay on Saturday at 8:15 p.m. and Auburn on Sunday at 8:15 p.m.
"After getting this treatment, they don't hurt at all," Horner said. "I feel like I have new knees."
Horner is one of a half-dozen athletes who have had the procedure done since the summer. It's not something that is common in the Triangle, said Charlie Rozanski, NC State's associate athletics director for sports medicine. Rozanski learned about it from a former student who works as the director of sports medicine for the Boston Red Sox, when he was visiting Raleigh to see the Carolina Hurricanes during last year's Stanley Cup playoffs.
The two started discussing advancements in the world of sports medicine and PRP injections came up.
"Our physicians were familiar with the process, but it wasn't something that was being used," Rozanski said. "The changes have come from being able to do it in an office setting. The hardware has made it easier to do.
"We look at it now as another tool in our physicians' belts to treat our student-athletes."
Wyker and other team physicians David and Michael Fajgenbaum of the Bone and Joint Clinic of Raleigh now consider the procedure an option when treating Wolfpack student-athletes.
Recovery from the procedure takes several weeks, as the platelet-rich plasma grows new blood cells. While there have been no scientific studies that prove the effectiveness of the treatment in fighting tendinitis and tendinosis, the anecdotal evidence is clear in Horner's eyes.
"I think it helped me a whole lot," Horner said. "Either that, or the tendinitis that has bothered me for six years magically went away. I feel like there was nothing wrong with me now.
"I am optimistic about how I can play this season. I feel like I am finally back at 100 percent. I can definitely play the way I know how to."
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
