Regenerative Medicine

What is regenerative medicine?

Regenerative medicine treatments use cells and other substances from the human body to promote faster, more complete healing in damaged or deteriorating tissues.

Regenerative medicine is a form of treatment that's undergoing rapid development thanks to its safety and effectiveness. Many of the products used in regenerative medicine come from the patient's own body, while others come from healthy donors.

How does regenerative medicine work?

Regenerative medicine products contain various types of cells that your body uses to heal itself and regenerate healthy tissues.

If you hurt yourself, your body sends substances like stem cells and growth factors to the injured area to get the healing process started. By extracting the cells from human tissues and concentrating them in an injectable solution, it's possible to multiply the healing effect.

Even injuries that cause chronic pain because they haven't healed properly using other methods can improve using the amplified effect of regenerative medicine treatment.

What types of regenerative medicine treat musculoskeletal conditions?

Dr. Attias uses two main types of regenerative medicine to treat musculoskeletal disorders:

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy

PRP is a substance Dr. Attias prepares from a sample of your blood. After drawing blood from your arm, he puts it in a centrifuge that spins it until the constituent parts of the blood separate.

He discards the red and white blood cells but saves the plasma (the liquid part of your blood) and the platelets (cells that contain growth factors).

Stem cells

Stem cells may come from a donor, but you also have a supply of stem cells in your body. Bone marrow and fatty tissues are the best sources. 

These cells are able to change into any other type of cell, so they can repair injuries all over your body. Flooding injured tissues with stem cells boosts healing.

What can I expect at my regenerative medicine session?

Regenerative medicine treatments aren't likely to cause much discomfort, and you won't need a general anesthetic.

Dr. Attias uses image guidance technology to guide the needle placement when delivering regenerative medicine treatments. He can therefore ensure that he doesn't damage any other structures during the process and gets the medication exactly where you need it most.

The effects of regenerative medicine injections aren't instant, but you should see improvement over the weeks and months that follow. You may need extra injections for optimal effect.

Find out how regenerative medicine therapies can restore your musculoskeletal health by calling Ohmedica Joint and Spine Health Specialists today, or book an appointment online.