What Conditions Can Be Treated With Regenerative Medicine?

Using Your Cells For Healing

The goal of traditional medicine is to treat the symptoms and manage the pain of chronic diseases or injuries. Regenerative medicine repairs and even rebuilds the damaged tissue, treating the root cause of the disease. Regenerative medicine is the process of using the body’s natural healing material to repair cells, tissues, and even organs. Some medication includes bioengineered materials, stem cells, and much more.

Applications of regenerative medicine

The applications of regenerative medicine already seem endless. Currently, the techniques are popular in cosmetics, particularly enhancements, skin, and hair restoration. Regenerative medicine is also possible in sports injuries, like ligament tears, and joint conditions like osteoarthritis. Several of these techniques have been FDA approved and are widely available for commercial use. At the same time, there are different techniques available for off-label use. Ask doctors if other types of regenerative medicine are available.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy

PRP is considered one of the most accessible forms of regenerative medicine. The therapy starts by separating the patient’s platelets, rich in nutrients. Next, the doctor will take a blood sample, separate the plasma in a centrifuge, then apply the PRP into the damaged area. PRP is great for torn ligaments, muscle pain, joint pain, nerve and spine conditions. Dermatologists also use PRP to treat hair loss and skin conditions. In addition, PRP is great for reducing inflammation and pain.

Lipogem therapy

Lipogem is similar to PRP, except for the source of the healing agents. Instead of the patient’s blood, lipogram therapy uses body fat, an excellent healing agent source. The fat tissue from the stomach or thigh is cleared of impurities, later injected into other large joints like knees, shoulders, and elbows. Lipogem therapy contains many pluripotent stem cells and is an excellent alternative to PRP.

Stem cell therapy

This therapy is considered the most promising aspect of the field. The procedure uses mesenchymal stem cells, which are considered building blocks of the body, and these cells can turn into the skin, tissue, tendons, muscle, and even organs. Stem cell therapy is helpful for wound healing, joint conditions, spinal conditions, ligament, and joint damage.

Alternative treatment options of regenerative medicine

Among the most important use of regenerative medicine is treating orthopedic conditions, especially those that would otherwise need surgery. These conditions include bursitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, disc degeneration, herniated discs, plantar fasciitis, tendon tears, and tendonitis. Regenerative medicine can also be utilized for type 1 diabetes, repair of cardiovascular tissue, and brain injury tissue repair.
Some doctors have seen immune system improvement, wounds, organ transplants, and certain types of cancers.

The future is here

There is extensive use of regenerative medicine, with many more still being studied. These techniques are appealing to avoid surgery and some patients like the procedure as a natural approach to pain management. So far, studies show that these treatments significantly outperform pain medication or other conventional therapies. In the future, regenerative medicine will move into the default form of therapy for almost all joint conditions.