What is regenerative medicine?
Regenerative medicine is a type of medicine that uses mesenchymal stem cells and specialized fluids, such as PRP (platelet-rich plasma), to empower your body to repair itself.
Stem cells are non-specific cells that are capable of developing into specific cell types (e.g., cartilage, bone, neurons) in a process known as differentiation. They also have the ability to regulate the cells around them to induce the healing of injuries. The team at Polaris Spine & Neurosurgery Center uses mesenchymal stem cells harvested from your own tissue! In the most commonly used procedure, the doctor will harvest a small amount of adipose tissue, usually from the abdomen, using liposuction. Your mesenchymal cells within this tissue are then extracted and injected into the problem area.
Polaris Spine & Neurosurgery Center also harvests nonspecific stem cells from your bone marrow.
How do you harvest stem cells from adipose tissue and bone marrow?
Adipose tissue
Polaris Spine & Neurosurgery Center uses a groundbreaking system called LipoGems® to extract and process adipose tissue from the abdomen in just a few minutes. The system works without any isolating chemicals, leaving your tissue healthy and highly effective.
Studies have shown that stem cells from adipose tissue have the potential to heal knee osteoarthritis.
Bone marrow
The team extracts and processes stem cells from your bone marrow using the EmCyte® system. They pull it from your hip bone in a low-pain process and then spin it in a centrifuge to concentrate it. Once it’s concentrated, the team injects the solution into your body.
Research supports that mesenchymal stem cells have the potential to renew damaged or diseased tissue, including whole organs, and help correct congenital deformities.
What is PRP treatment?
PRP treatment uses platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to accelerate your body’s natural healing process. PRP injections contain a concentrated form of your blood’s own platelets, a protein that contains growth factors that facilitates body repair.
PRP injections have the potential to speed healing after surgery and from conditions such as:
- Osteoarthritis
- Acute injuries
- Tendon injuries
- Degenerative disc disease
PRP injections may also decrease pain. To treat pain, your Polaris team injects the PRP solution directly into the injury site.
You might not notice a positive change right away, but often, during the following months, you’ll find that you’re healing more rapidly than you would otherwise.
To create PRP, the practice draws a small amount of blood from your arm and then puts it through a process called centrifugation. During centrifugation, your platelets separate from your blood’s other components, and concentrate.
If you’re ready to try a new approach, reach out to Polaris Spine & Neurosurgery Center to learn about regenerative medicine. To get started, call or fill out the online booking tool today.
