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Scientists and doctors have made tremendous advances to make tissue regeneration a reality in treating many diseases. Through regenerative medicine, a person can take advantage of the body’s ability to heal itself by using the healthy adult stem cells that can be found throughout the body. Laboratory and clinical research has shown that it is possible to use adult stem cells, platelets, proteins, and growth factors to restore lost, damaged or aging cells and effectively regenerate tissue in the body. Regenerative therapies are showing promise in the treatment of joint and musculoskeletal pain.
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Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, is a concentration of platelets collected from a sample of blood. When injected, platelets release millions of cytokines, or specialized proteins, to recruit nearby MSCs into the affected area and participate in the natural healing cascade.
Adult stem cells, also known as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), were discovered over 40 years ago when researchers found that these cells had the ability to form various connective tissues. Adult stem cells are early stage cells and, under the right conditions, are capable of differentiating into more developed cells types like muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage and bone.
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Adult Stem Cell Therapy
Where do adult stem cells come from?
In adults, MSCs are present within a variety of tissues and organs. The most common and richest source comes from your bone marrow, and your hip bone is one of the best and most convenient locations to withdraw bone marrow.
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How are adult stem cells obtanied, prepared, and delivered?
During an adult stem cell therapy procedure, the doctor will use a needle to withdraw bone marrow from your posterior Iliac crest (lower back area). A trained nurse or technician then uses specifically designed equipment to concentrate the adult stem cells and growth factors present in the bone marrow and provides the cells back to the physician for implantation into the targeted area(s).
Is this therapy cleared by the FDA?
Doctors draw bone marrow from your hip and then concentrate it using an FDA-cleared device. Unlike procedures which process fat with enzymes or use living foreign cells like amniotic products, bone marrow concentration is carried out using your own cells with minimal manipulation, which meets the FDAs definition of the practice of medicine.
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Potential Applications
There are many potential applications where cell- based therapies can be very effective. The following are the most common:
HIP
• Osteoarthritis
• Labral tears
• Articular cartilage injuries |
KNEE
• Osteoarthritis
• Partial ligament tears
• Partial meniscal tears
• Augmented ACL or PCL reconstruction |
FOOT AND ANKLE
• Mild to moderate osteoarthritis
• Tendon inflammation
• Partial Achilles tendon tear |
SHOULDER
• Partial rotator cuff tears
• Labral tears
• Mild to moderate osteoarthritis |
SPINE
• Discogenic back pain
• Osteoarthritis of facet joints
• Degenerative disc disease |
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