Owens, though, made the best of the situation, focusing on his studies and training with the OSU track team under coach Larry Snyder. Snyder, who thought Owens' race starts were too slow, made the athlete repeatedly practice starts that had him crouching tightly at the starting line. He also altered Owens' long-jump style, teaching him to move his legs in mid-air.
In general, a low platelet count occurs because: 1  The body's bone marrow doesn't make enough platelets. 2  The bone marrow makes enough platelets, but the body destroys them or uses them up. 3  The spleen holds on to too many platelets.
With primary thrombocythemia, a high platelet count may occur alone or with other blood cell disorders. This condition isn't common. When another disease or condition causes a high platelet count, the term thrombocytosis is preferred. This condition often is called secondary or reactive thrombocytosis. Secondary thrombocytosis is more common than primary thrombocythemia. Often, a high platelet count doesn't cause signs or symptoms. Rarely, serious or life-threatening symptoms can develop, such as blood clots and bleeding.