Spring 1982 - Athletic Training History

An Evaluation of thePresent Indications ofDimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO)In Sports MedicineJohn Wells, ATC, PhD, PTIntroductiondriving desire of the medical profession is toA seek new and better methods of treatingpatients. New surgical procedures for transplants arebecoming an everyday occurrence. Lives that hadpreviously been thought lost are being saved by"miracles" in the operating room. Pharmaceutical companies,medical schools, and universities are constantlyseeking new drugs to relieve man's ailments, to prolonghis life, and to make that prolonged life more enjoyable forhimself and more beneficial to mankind in general.The members of the medical profession specializing inthe area of Sports Medicine sincerely subscribe to all ofthe above desires and goals. In addition, there are two additionalgoals to be met. First is the return of the participantto participation as soon as medically possible afteran injury. Secondly, the educational aspects of this entirelearning experience for the individual participating inathletics. He must realize the long range physiologicalconsequences of his injury and he must be given everymedical benefit to prevent any pathological complications,either at the time of injury or at any future time in his life.In order to realize these last two goals Sports Medicinepersonnel are actively interested in any new procedurewhich will speed recuperation of their patients. DimethylSulfoxide (DMSO) is one of these proposed new pharmaceuticals.Many claims have been made for the possiblebenefits of this medication. Possible side effects have alsobeen identified.Since the first publication in 1964 of an article dealingwith the possible medical uses of Dimethyl Sulfoxidethere have been over 600 articles written on the subject.Many of these articles mention uses for the types of injuriessustained by athletes. Therefore, the topic "DMSO,Fact and Fantasy" was placed on the agenda of the 1966convention of the NATA held in Kansas City, Missouri.The speaker told of the potential side effects and how theactual benefits were not really as dramatic as people hadbeen led to believe by the glowing articles in theliterature. At the 1980 NATA meeting held inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, Dr. Stanley Jacob presentedhis latest work with DMSO.Dr. Wells is Associate Professor of Physical Education andSupervisor of Sports Medicine at Mars Hill College in Mars Hill,North Carolina 28754. In addition to serving as Abstract Coordinator/orATHLETIC TRAINING, the author is also Chairpersonof the NATA Drug Education Committee. This article isthe third in a series to be presented by the Drug Education Committee.26 Athletic Training • Spring 1982Development of Dimethyl SulfoxideDimethyl Sulfoxide is an industrial solvent which hasbeen in use since 1875. It is obtained from lignin (anorganic substance that is combined with cellulose to formthe main portion of woody plants). In 1952 DimethylSulfoxide received United States Patent Number2,581,050. Dimethyl Sulfoxide is manufactured as a byproductof the wood pulp manufacture of paper and alliedindustries. It is prepared by oxidation of dimethyl sulfidein the presence of nitrogen oxide. The chemical compositionis C2HeOS and is combined. 11CHs (I CHs0The foregoing equation yields the following composition.Carbon 30.74 percentHydrogen 7.74 percentOxygen 20.48 percentSulphur _____41.03 percent99.99 percentOther physical characteristics of Dimethyl Sulfoxide are:1. Supercools easily—that is, the temperature may dropbelow the freezing point without the solution actuallyfreezing.2. Slightly bitter taste with a sweet after taste (somereports of garlic and oyster taste have been reported).3. Flashpoint is 95 degrees celcius. This is the pointwhen DMSO will actually ignite into flame.4. The viscosity at 27 degrees celcius is 1.1 cp.5. The specific heat is .07 calorie (liquid).6. Dielectric constant is 45.7. Molecular weight is 78.15.8. A very hygroscopic liquid, that is, one that will absorbmoisture from the air.9. Soluable in:A. WaterB. EthanolC. AcetoneD. EtherE. BenzeneF. Chlorophorm10. Forms stable coordinate complexes with metals. 30