Cures from the field: pro-athletes often go to medical extremes to get back on their feet fast after an injury. Find out whether their unusual treatments stand up to scientific scrutiny, and if they may someday be commonplace in a hospital or doctor's office near you.

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ATHLETE: HINES WARD, PITTSBURGH STEELERS

INJURY: The wide receiver sprained his right knee during a National Football League conference championship game in 2009.

TREATMENT: The Steelers' win propelled them into the Super Bowl, so Ward tried to shorten his healing time using a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Ward sat inside the airtight chamber and breathed 100 percent oxygen at high pressure. Air normally contains roughly 20 percent oxygen.

Cells in the human body rely on oxygen carried in the bloodstream. A lack of oxygen slows healing. Ward believed the oxygen-rich air in the chamber would help him heal faster by increasing the amount of oxygen in his bloodstream. After using the chamber, Ward played in the Super Bowl.

THE TREATMENT'S FUTURE?

Although Ward got back on the field quickly, scientific studies have not proved that hyperbaric oxygen chambers heal injuries like his. "There is not sufficient evidence to support the use of chambers for the average sprained ankle or knee," says David Harrison, the medical director of Vancouver General Hospital's Hyperbaric Unit, in Canada.

However, hyperbaric oxygen chambers are being used to treat several other conditions, including injuries in which there is severe damage to tissues. The added oxygen in the bloodstream causes blood vessels to shrink, which can reduce swelling. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment also makes white blood cells less sticky. "Sticky white blood cells play a role in making severe tissue damage worse," says Harrison.

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ATHLETE: KEVIN EVERETT, BUFFALO BILLS

INJURY: Everett injured his spinal cord during a collision with another player in a 2007 game against the Denver Broncos. Doctors said that Everett may never walk again.

TREATMENT: In addition to administering standard treatments including surgery, the Bills' team doctor, Andrew Cappuccino, tried an experimental therapy on Everett: He put Everett into a state of moderate hypothermia, a condition in which a person's body temperature drops from 37[degrees]C to 35[degrees]C (98.6[degrees]F to 95[degrees]F), or below. Scientists believe this cooling may slow chemical reactions that can cause swelling around the spinal cord after injury. Such swelling can squish nerve cells in the spinal cord killing them and possibly leaving the patient permanently paralyzed.

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To cool Everett's body, Cappuccino inserted a cold saline solution directly into his veins. He kept Everett in a state of hypothermia for two days after performing surgery to repair some of the damage to his spine. Less than three months after his accident on the field, Everett was walking again.

THE TREATMENTS FUTURE?

Using hypothermia to prevent or reduce the severity of paralysis following an injury is still an experimental technique. But scientists at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine--where the technique was pioneered--hope the treatment may become standard for spinal cord injuries. Scientists have shown that it can also reduce swelling and further nerve damage in patients who have experienced severe brain injuries.

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ATHLETE: TROY POLAMALU, PITTSBURGH STEELERS

INJURY: Polamalu, a defender, pulled his calf muscle while warming up for a playoff game against the San Diego Chargers in January 2009.

TREATMENT: Doctors used a technique called platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy. They took a small amount of Polamalu's blood and separated out the platelets (see Nuts & Bolts, below). These tiny, round structures in blood help form clots to stop bleeding. Platelets are involved in the body's healing process.

In PRP therapy, doctors inject the patient's platelets directly into the injured area. There, the platelets release proteins that cause new cells to grow and become stronger. "PRP accelerates the body's own healing process," says Allan Mishra, an orthopedic surgeon at Stanford University Medical Center in California.

After treatment, Polamalu played in the next game and helped his team win by catching an interception and running 40 yards for a touchdown.

THE TREATMENT'S FUTURE?

PRP therapy is now helping ordinary athletes heal. Activities such as tennis and running can cause damage to tendons (bands of tissue that connect muscle to bone) and ligaments (tissue that attaches bones in a movable joint). Injuries like these used to be treated mainly with surgery. "PRP is less invasive and has as good as or better results than surgery," says Mishra. Scientists are now testing the technique to see if it can improve other conditions. "This is a rapidly evolving science," he says.

web extra

For more information about the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, visit: www.scholastic.com/scienceworld

nuts & bolts

Blood contains roughly 45 percent blood cells and 55 percent plasma, a yellowish fluid containing proteins. Red blood cells, while blood cells, and cell fragments called platelets are suspended in the plasma. Each plays a vital role in your health.

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PLASMA: Transports nutrients and hormones to cells, and removes waste.

WHITE BLOOD CELLS: Fight sickness by finding disease-causing organisms and destroying them.

RED BLOOD CELLS: Deliver oxygen to cells throughout the body.

PLATELETS: Help blood clots to form when a wound occurs.

PRE-READING PROMPTS:

* What parts of the body might be prone to injury during sports like football?

* What is hypothermia? Is hypothermia normally beneficial or dangerous'? Under the care of a skilled doctor, what type of injury do you think moderate hypothermia may help treat'?

* What are platelets? How are they important in helping your body to heal itself?

DID YOU KNOW?

* Only 14 weeks after suffering a severe neck injury, Kevin Everett walked again for the first time in public on December 23, 2007, at the Buffalo Bills' last home game of the season. Initially, doctors had feared he might never walk again.

* There are between 140,000,000 and 400,000,000 platelets in a milliliter of an average person's blood.

CRITICAL THINKING:

* A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury. Last fall, 12 athletes--including six retired NFL players--agreed to donate their brains to science when they die. Brain researchers hope to understand the long-term effects of the repeated head injuries sustained in these high-impact sports. What kind of evidence do you think repeated concussions might leave behind? If you were an athlete, would you donate your body parts to science after you die so researchers could learn more about the effects of your sport on the body?

CROSS-CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS:

HISTORY: Since footballers took to the field in the late 1800s, the players' protective gear has changed dramatically. Check out this article from Popular Mechanics about the history of the football helmet: www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/4281378.html. Then, draw a scaled timeline of the development of football helmets from the first ones made of leather to the ones currently used by NFL players. Which advances seem most noteworthy to you?

RESOURCES

You can access these Web links at www.scholastic.com/scienceworld.

* Getting ready for football tryouts? Be sure to check out this site about five ways to avoid sports injuries: http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/out/sport_safety.html.

* Keep tabs on the Steelers' Hines and Polamalu with the NFL's Web site for kids: www.nflrush.com.

* Want to learn more about platelet-rich plasma therapy? Check out this New York Times article: www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/sports/17blood.html.

DIRECTIONS: Use information in the article to help you defend or dispute the statements below. (Hint: Defend means to explain why a statement is correct. Dispute means to explain why a statement is incorrect.)

1. Using a hyperbaric chamber is the best treatment for a sprained knee.

2. Hypothermia may someday become a standard treatment for spinal cord injuries.

3. Surgery is the only way to repair damaged tendons and ligaments.

ANSWERS

1. Dispute. While Hines Ward swiftly returned to the field after his injury, studies have yet to prove that using a hyperbaric chamber actually helps sprained knees.

2. Defend. Hypothermia treatment helped reduce swelling after Kevin Everett's spine injury, allowing him to walk again. Doctors at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis hope that it will become a standard treatment for spinal injuries.

3. Dispute. There are several ways to repair damaged tendons and ligaments. Surgery is one option, but platelet-rich plasma therapy is an alternative.