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Dr. Ivette Guttmann works with a patient at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

PRP: New Treatment for Osteoarthritis

By Dr. Ivette GuttmannPrint Story | Email Story

For years, treatment options for osteoarthritis (OA) were rather limited: exercise, anti-inflammatory drugs, cortisone injections, physical therapy and, in extreme cases, joint replacement. But a new treatment option is showing great promise and offering much-needed relief to some sufferers.

Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP for short, has been found effective for reducing pain and increasing function in joints affected by osteoarthritis. Best of all, it uses your body's own resources and healing powers to create change.

In short, PRP therapy involves taking some of a patient's blood and running it through a high-tech centrifuge to extract platelets and plasma. The resulting mixture is the PRP and it contains a concentration of natural growth factors and healing proteins. Then, using guided ultrasound, the PRP is injected into the affected joint to stimulate tendon and muscle regeneration. The PRP then goes to work not only healing but also recruiting other growth factors and proteins to keep the healing process going.

As for results, a recent study found that patients who received PRP had significant pain reduction and improved physical function over the course of a year.

Another bonus, PRP is an easy treatment to receive, requiring only the initial blood draw and the follow-up injection, both accomplished in one visit. Side effects are minimal, generally just pain at the injection site. However, patients are asked to not take anti-inflammatories for a time period starting two weeks in advance of the treatment and extending until six weeks post-injection.

The one potential downside to PRP is that it's so new that it's not covered by insurance. Depending on the provider, costs can range anywhere from $600 to $1,200. It’s important to note that less-expensive treatments may not use state-of-the-art extraction equipment to create the PRP or guided ultrasound to place the injection. Because the quality of the PRP and the placement of the injection are key to the success of the treatment, it's worth asking your provider about the specifics of the treatment being offered. After all, and especially in the case of PRP, you get what you pay for. A few questions and a bit of research can ensure your money is well spent and your outcome the best it can possibly be.

While PRP won’t stop the progression of OA, it does have the potential to improve a patient’s quality of life and delay the need for invasive surgery.

Dr. Ivette Guttmann is a sports medicine physician who sees patients at SVMC Orthopedics in Bennington, Vt., Twin Rivers Medical P.C. in Hoosick Falls, N.Y., and Northern Berkshire Orthopedics in Williamstown, Mass.

 





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Sage City Symphony Winter Concert

BENNINGTON, Vt. — On Sunday, Feb. 8 at 4:00 p.m. at Greenwall Auditorium in the VAPA Building at Bennington College, Sage City Symphony will present a concert featuring "Concerto for 2 Cellos" by Vivaldi, "Serenade #11 for Wind Octet" by Mozart, "Pulcinella Suite" Stravinsky and "Siegfried-Idyll" by Wagner.

Admission is free and open to all.

The soloists for the Vivaldi Double Concerto are Annabelle Hoffman and Perri Morris;

Cellist, Annabelle Hoffman has toured with the NY  Philharmonic, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Sinfonietta Salzburg and the American Symphony Orchestra. She has participated in the Mostly Mozart Festival, Marlboro Festival, and Aspen Festival. On Broadway, Annabelle has performed in the pit orchestras of Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Carousel, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, Aladdin, War Paint, Sunset Boulevard, The Visit and A Grand Night for Singing. In addition to performing, Annabelle also teaches and coaches chamber music. She has been on the faculty of The Calhoun School, the 92nd Street Y,  Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, and  The Berkshire School of Music.

Cellist Perri Morris studied cello with Michael Finckel, Lawrence Lesser, Ronald Feldman, and Aldo Parisot. She earned a bachelor's degree in Music Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, a master's degree in Music Performance from U-Mass Amherst, and later earned a B.A. in English from Mount Holyoke College. She has participated in music festivals at Tanglewood, Spoleto Festival of the Two Worlds, and The Waterloo Music Festival, Gerard Schwartz, dir. Ms. Morris has been a member of the faculties at Mount Holyoke College, West Texas A&M, Keene State College and Westfield State College. She served as Assistant Principal Cello of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, in Massachusetts, for 19 years. A resident of Bennington, Vermont, Ms. Morris performs with the Vermont, Springfield, MA, Glens Falls Symphony and Berkshire Symphonies. She is the Principal Cello with Opera North and the Vermont Opera Company. Ms. Morris is a faculty member of the Berkshire Music School and has private teaching studios in Bennington and Williamstown, Mass.

The program will be led by two conductors, Gerald Lanoue of Bennington and Diane Bargiel of Poultney VT

Gerald Lanoue D.M.A., a Bennington Vermont native, is an active conductor and bassoonist in the Upstate New York and Southern Vermont area.  Dr. Lanoue is privileged to be the music director for the Music Company Orchestra and is currently the principal bassoonist with the Sage City Symphony. He  received an  undergraduate education at the Crane School of Music in Potsdam New York and a masters and doctorate at the University of Southern California.  He studied conducting with Douglas Lowry, past Dean and conductor at the Eastman School of Music, as well as John Barnett, the associate conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Dr. Lanoue has served on the faculties of Riverside Community College and Santa Monica College.  While in California he was an active orchestral and chamber musician serving as Principal Bassoon for the Bakersfield Symphony, Los Angeles Classical Ballet, Redlands Symphony, and the American Youth Symphony.  He has performed most notably with Daniel Lewis, Yehuda Gilad, Jerry Goldsmith, Michael Kamien and Zubin Mehta.

Diane Bargiel received her Bachelor of Music degree in clarinet from the Dana School of Music, a Master of Music in clarinet from Michigan State University, Certification in Music  Education from Carnegie Mellon University, and a certificate in Arts Administration from New York University.  Diane also concentrated on conducting in graduate conducting seminars with Eugene Corporon, lessons with William Wiedrich, seven workshops with Larry Rachleff and Robert Cameron, and additional workshops with Allan McMurray, Elizabeth Green, Frank Battisti and others.  In 2021, she retired from SUNY Adirondack as the last Humanities division chair and Associate Professor of Music.  In 2015, Prof. Bargiel received the SUNY Chancellor's Award for  Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities and in 1995 while at Susquehanna University, was presented the Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Diane has been the principal clarinetist of the Sage City since 2012.

Ms. Bargiel currently serves on the board of New England Arts Presenters as the chair of its Engagement committee, and is an adjunct at Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, Vermont.  Other professional highlights include having been president of the New York Association of College Music Programs, president of Pennsylvania Presenters, a board member of Arts Presenters of Northern New England, the Pennsylvania state chair of the College Band Directors National Association, a member of the first Creative Communities Council of Windham County (VT), a planning committee member for the first Performing Arts Exchange that covered the entire East Coast, and was also a conductor and panelist at the 2000 CBDNA Eastern Regional Conference at Yale University, among numerous other roles and volunteer involvement.   A resident of Poultney, Vermont, Diane had served on the first Poultney 2020 planning committee, is a past board member of the Killington section of the Green Mountain Club, and is a past executive director and board member of Stone Valley Arts in Poultney.  

 

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