Platelet-Rich Plasma Helps Upper Saddle River Woman Heal Tendon Tear
January 21, 2025
Aging can come with mysterious aches and pains. A stiff knee or a tight lower back can seemingly pop up out of nowhere for the over-50 set.
When 53-year-old Andrea Loberbaum of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, suddenly felt intense back pain three years ago, she assumed it was due to her age or overexertion during a tennis or golf game.
“It almost felt like sciatica, but not exactly,” she says. “So, I started doing what I would normally do for back pain—certain stretches and exercises—but it wasn't getting better. It was actually getting worse.”
For six months, Andrea, a consumer finance specialist, says she had trouble sleeping, driving and even sitting at her desk to work.
“On a conference call one day, a colleague asked me if I had ants in my pants because I couldn’t sit still,” she says. “I said, ‘No, I just can’t get comfortable.’”
As her quality of life deteriorated, she knew it was time to get help. Two years prior, she had seen Chris Cherian, M.D., a Bergen County, New Jersey-based sports medicine physician, to treat her tennis elbow at a different hospital. Since then, he had moved to Hackensack University Medical Center, and Andrea followed him there.
“I’d had such a great experience with Dr. Cherian, I’d follow him anywhere,” she says.
Finding the Source of Back Pain
After physical therapy alone proved ineffective, Dr. Cherian ordered an MRI, which confirmed his suspicion: Andrea’s back pain was not because of her spine but because of a tear in her gluteus medius tendon in her hip.
“She was miserable, and in these situations, I'm a very honest person. I tell people when I believe I can help them and when I think they should consider surgery of some sort,” Dr. Cherian says. “I actually referred her to a hip preservation surgeon in the area to discuss possible surgical options.”
The hip preservationist told Andrea that a full gluteus medius tear is rare and is usually only seen in professional hockey players and middle-aged women who had given birth.
One option to correct the tear was, of course, surgery. But, as an active mother of two daughters, Andrea did not want to deal with not being able to bear any weight for three months, so she opted for a less-invasive option and one that she was already familiar with.
Healing Yourself with Plasma
Since Dr. Cherian had injected her with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for her tennis elbow, which had since resolved with the help of physical therapy, he suggested starting there again. Andrea says she was happy for the alternative but still nervous about the procedure.
“Having had the PRP the first time, I knew there would be a little pain from the actual injection for a bit, but I was more afraid that it wasn't going to work, and I'd have to have surgery,” she says.
Here’s how PRP works: The clinician will draw a tube of blood from the patient. Next, the blood is put into a centrifuge, which spins the blood separating it into various components, including red and white blood cells, plasma and platelets. The platelets are then mixed into a blood plasma liquid base and injected directly into the area of the injury.
Life-Changing Results
In January 2023, Dr. Cherian used an ultrasound to guide where the medication needed to go in Andrea’s hip, and within half an hour, the procedure was complete. For 72 hours, she had to keep any weight off her leg, and within three weeks she started to see improvement, even though it could take six to twelve weeks for some patients.Now she’s regularly hitting the gym three times a week, something she wasn’t able to do before.
“I have had less back pain for the last year than I've had the last 20-plus years,” she says. “I still have a little weakness on that side, but every week, it gets better and better.”
While some patients may need a repeat PRP injection, Dr. Cherian thinks that Andrea won’t need another.
“At this point, she's returned to a healthy, active lifestyle and it doesn't seem like she's looking back,” he says. “We're really happy with our outcome here.”
Next Steps & Resources
- Meet our source: Chris Cherian, M.D.
- To make an appointment with an orthopedic, sports medicine or physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist near you, call 800-822-8905 or visit our website.
- Learn more about orthopedic sports medicine at Hackensack Meridian Health.
The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.
