A New York Times report prompted the Major League Baseball (MLB) to conduct an investigation on the possible violation of the league’s anti-doping policy by Yankees pitcher Roberto Colon. This was confirmed by MLB’s senior vice president of public relations Pat Courtney to the media. The report did not accused Colon for using human growth hormone but his elbow surgery was treated by a doctor who uses HGH in treating patients. The procedure was also performed in the Dominican Republic.

Elbow Injury

Colon suffered an elbow injury last year and sought the services of an orthopedic surgeon from Boca Raton, Florida. Dr. Joseph R. Purita, who runs the Institute of Regenerative and Molecular Orthopedics in Florida, treated the pitcher with stem-cell treatment and platelet-rich plasma therapy to hasten Colon’s recovery from shoulder and elbow injuries.

Overview of the Procedure

Bone marrow stem cells were obtained from Colon. The sample is then spun in a centrifuge to separate bone marrow from blood. After this procedure, the bone marrow is combined with Colon’s body fat. It wass injected into his right shoulder to repair the torn rotator cuff and on his elbow to repair an injured ligament.

This method of treatment is becoming popular especially among athletes. According to the New York Times, the procedure helped Colon return to the Yankees. However, there are still some people who doubt the efficacy of the procedure because of lack of clinical studies.

Possible HGH Treatment

The treatment done on Colon’s injured elbow is drawing the attention of the MLB and baseball fans. Stem cell treatment and platelet rich plasma therapy is not an illegal method of treatment. However, questions arise from Colon’s decision to choose that particular treatment. The choice of doctor, the place where the treatment was performed and the time of recovery were just some of the queries that he should answer.

Dr Purita admitted that he uses human growth hormone as one of his methods of treatment so there is also a possibility that Colon received the same medical procedure. Right now, the use of HGH is only limited to some medical conditions. It is also banned by the major league because it is considered as a performance enhancing drug.

Doctor Denied He Used HGH on Colon

In an interview by the Daily News, Dr Purita clarified that he did not injected Colon with human growth hormone. He also welcomed the investigation that will be conducted by the major league. “I’m clean as a whistle. I agree with Major League Baseball that human growth hormone should not be used to treat injuries. There is too much potential for abuse (in sports),” the doctor told the Daily News.

He reasoned out that at his age he doesn’t want to be involve in any illicit practices. “I don’t want that stigma. That’s why I won’t give human growth hormone to anybody involved in organized sports,” he said. He also shuns treating athletes with HGH in the high school and college levels.

Roberto Colon is performing okay in the recent games. He replaced Phil Hughes who is still in the disabled list. Hughes is currently undergoing a strength-building program and expected to return in mid-June. Colon, a 2005 Cy Young awardee, struggled with his performance in the previous years because of injuries.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS