Regenerative Medicine
Sounds impressive but what exactly is it? Well in layman’s terms it means our bodies are designed to heal themselves! For example, if you cut yourself, it heals. Regenerative medicine is a form of tissue engineering and molecular biology which deals with the “process of replacing, engineering or regenerating human cells, tissues or organs to restore or establish normal function.”. When injured or invaded by disease, our bodies have the innate response to heal and defend. Harnessing and enhancing the body’s own regenerative powers is a medical practice at the frontier of present-day advancements whose properties may seem miraculous to those who benefit from them. The miracle, however, is the result of scientific exploration that has begun to unlock and utilize the body’s extraordinary ability to heal and restore itself.
Imagine if pain medicine was no longer needed. Imagine if the need for a surgical procedure was prolonged or no longer necessary. Through new technologies in regenerative medicine, there are now treatments available that may enhance your own body’s natural ability to heal.
In our Woodstock and Buckhead offices we are now using regenerative medicine for the management of pain, sports injuries and to expedite the healing from certain surgeries.
We realize that choosing what type of regenerative therapy that works for you may be confusing. For that reason, we have outlined some of what we do to help you make an informed decision.
Many people have heard of the usefulness of stem cell therapy but there’s so much more to regenerative medicine than just stem cells, whose outcome is very dependent on the age of the patient they are being harvested from: your stem cells are as old as you are. Equally or maybe even more important are certain components such as collagens, cytokines, proteins, growth factors… the list goes on.
In regenerative offices all over the world these are some of the treatments being utilized, as a stand-alone or combined, include birth tissues from amniotic fluid/membrane, umbilical cord tissue, umbilical cord Wharton’s Jelly and umbilical cord blood. Platelet rich plasma (PRP) adipose derived stem cells (ADSC) and bone marrow aspirate (BMA).
In our offices, we are using umbilical cord tissue. Specifically, we are using Wharton’s Jelly. Wharton’s jelly, is the tissue surrounding the umbilical vein and vessels in the cord. Derived from the maternal side of the umbilical cord, this tissue contains up to 50 times more growth factors and other components compared to amniotic fluid. Wharton’s jelly products are especially beneficial for patients over forty that, due to the aging process, would have less viable cells that a younger person would have.
How does regenerative medicine work? Cells are the building blocks of tissue, and tissues are the basic unit of function in the body. Generally, groups of cells make and secrete their own support structures, called the extracellular matrix. This matrix, or scaffold, does more than just support the signaling molecules. Thus, cells receive messages from many sources that become available from the local environment. Each signal can start a chain of responses that determine what happens to the cell. Through medical technology we can now understand how individual cells respond to signals, interact with their environment and organize themselves into a healing process. Scaffolds are created utilizing regenerative medicine therapies allowing the issue “self-assemble.”.
What can regenerative medicine be used for?
Pain management
Pain for most of us comes and goes; some stay, and you live with it day in and day out. Imagine a life where pain is constant, taking control of your life and, in some way, the life of those close to you. Imagine having to rely on a narcotic to somewhat lessen the pain just to make it through the day. The Institute of Medicine of The National Academies state that over 116 million American suffer from chronic pain, 1.5 billion worldwide. Pain that is caused by trauma, aging, sports injuries, work-related injuries, diseases, the list goes on and on.
Drugs are the “first line” of treatment for most forms of pain. To date the goal of successful pain management is to effectively control patient pain without causing side effects from the medication prescribed. However, only 58% of those who took prescription pain medicine received any form of pain relief and only 41% of those taking over -the counter pain medication reported relief. The incident unintentional (and preventable) drug overdose-related deaths is growing exponentially. Of all drug -related deaths in the U.S., 43% are due to pain relief medication.
Doctors know that approximately 50% of all patient undergoing pain management will not receive adequate relief at first dosing and/or are at a higher risk of experiencing adverse, potentially life-threatening events.
80% of all pain management drugs are prescribed by the general practitioner or the internist. With the epidemic of opioid abuse so prevalent, clinicians are looking for other methods to treat pain and injuries through injection therapy and patients, in turn, are looking for non-invasive options to avoid any type of surgical procedure. With the advancement of medical technology, regenerative medicine is not a popular and successful alternative the treat the management of pain.
So, If you are experiencing :
- Osteoarthritis of the knee, shoulder, neck or , lower back
- ACL tears
- Tennis Elbow / Golfer’s Elbow
- Tendinitis
- Ligament sprains
- Shoulder pain
- Neck pain
- Lower back pain
- Meniscal tears of the knee
- Rotator cuff tears
and have not found a solution to relieve your pain then find out how our offices can help you by requesting a complimentary 15 minute consultation and complimentary *X-rays*( at our Woodstock location).* X rays are available at our Woodstock location only.
Please fill out this form below
We have had amazing outcomes from our patients with chronic pain that have responded extremely well to this regenerative therapy at our offices. Please check out our testimonial video and search all of our amazing positive 5 star reviews on google, yelp and Facebook.
Testimonials
“As a long sufferer from degenerative knee pain, I have tried multiple products to maintain my healthy, active lifestyle. My goal every year is to enjoy a skiing season without having to take days off for knee pain and swelling. As a physician, I keep up with medical developments and was excited to hear about the latest regenerative efforts from regenerative medicine therapy. The science is solid and credible and supports what I have discovered in my own wound healing research. I had an injection of Wharton’s jelly into each knee 4 months before the first ski trip of this year. I was cautiously optimistic after six weeks when my knees had less daily discomfort and made less “noise” when I flexed them. I am thrilled to report that I could ski six full days in a row without my usual swelling and pain. I didn’t use any anti-inflammatory medications and didn’t need to ice my knees one time even after a day of 30,000 vertical feet. The results exceeded expectation. I am recommending this revolutionary regenerative product to my friends and to my patients.”
-Dan MD
Plastic Surgeon Age 60
“Playing in the NFL for twenty-one years as a quarterback has taken a toll on my body leaving me with chronic pain in my shoulder. Although retired from the NFL, I continue to lead an active lifestyle by working out and playing golf. When the pain in my shoulder became too much to enjoy these activities, I went to my Doctor who suggested I try regenerative medicine therapy including Wharton’s jelly. It has now been two months since my treatment and the improvement is substantial; I am sleeping better; my golf game has improved, and the pain has substantially subsided. Overall, I would say that the regenerative products administered by my doctor have improved the quality of my life.”
-Vinny Testarverde
Retired NFL quarterback Age 54