Regenerative medicine refers to therapies that are able to repair, restore and regenerate damaged tissues in the body. These therapies represent a significant advancement from traditional ones that only offer symptom relief as a proverbial ‘band-aid’, added Dr. David Greene Arizona. The revolutionary treatments have been in the limelight in recent years due to high-profile athletes such as Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods utilizing the restorative effects rather than undergoing surgery.
Regenerative procedures come in two forms. Those that require a biologic harvest from the patient (bone marrow or adipose tissue), or those that come from an external source (such as platelet-rich plasma, amniotic fluid/membrane, and umbilical cord blood/tissue). Together with the specialists at R3 Stem Cell, who have clinics throughout the United States, we delve a little deeper into the various therapy forms and who they might suit best.
Fat and Bone Marrow Derived Stem Cells: These are outpatient procedures that involve harvesting the patient’s own tissue with immediate processing to concentrate stem cells and growth factors, said Dr. David Greene. The patient’s tissue is then injected during the same setting into the area of concern.
Osteoarthritis and other degenerative conditions are largely a result of aging. What makes the field of regenerative medicine so exciting is that preliminary data is showing the possibility of turning back the biological clock in these joints, allowing patients to experience rejuvenation and increased quality of life, added David Greene Orthopedic. As research and technology continue to evolve, it may be possible to create a cadre of highly effective therapies that could be used along the entire spectrum of a patients’ condition.
Fat-derived stem cell procedures take between two and 2.5 hours to harvest and process the tissue. Bone marrow stem cell procedures take about 30 minutes. R3 Stem Cell currently offers the bone marrow variety with a research study evaluating the procedure’s effectiveness against spinal arthritis along with extremity arthritis.
Information on regenerative medicine options can be overwhelming at first. R3 Stem Cell offers prospective patients a wealth of online resources and information to help them get familiar with the various treatments.
Comments
Post a Comment