Now You Can Help Your Body Heal Itself

Now You Can Help Your Body Heal Itself

Oct 23, 2020

Regenerative medicine represents a complete breakthrough in modern medicine.  The body’s ability to heal itself naturally is actually not a new thing.  A fractured bone will regrow and heal the break.  Cut yourself shaving, and the skin will heal.  There are many examples of our body’s innate ability to heal injuries.

Now modern science and technology are now enabling physicians to help their patients discover new ways in which the body can heal itself.  Within the specialty of orthopedics, regenerative medicine is offering healing and pain relief to patients who suffer from conditions such as osteoarthritis, herniated discs or ligaments and tendons injuries. 

Orthobiologics Can Boost the Body’s Own Natural Healing Abilities

Orthobiologics are cells and substances derived from cells that are naturally found in your body. By concentrating them and delivering them to the site of injury, they can help speed up the healing process.

Here’s how it works:

When you injure a bone, muscle or tendon, the platelet cells in the blood are the first responders arriving on the scene to quickly start healing. White blood cells also rush to the injury site to ward off infection, control inflammation and become the clean-up crew [i].  Other important cells like stem cells participate in this complex symphony of repair.  Specialists in orthopedic regenerative medicine can now boost these natural processes through several specialized treatments that help maximize the body’s own innate healing capabilities.

Regenerative Treatments for Orthopedic Conditions

There are different orthobiologic treatments that your regenerative medicine specialist can recommend depending on your orthopedic condition:

·  Platelet Rich Plasma puts the healing properties of the patient’s own blood to work to repair damaged joints, tendons and muscles. The platelets in the blood release growth factors and proteins that promote tissue repair, while the plasma carries the hormones, electrolytes and nutrients required to nourish cells during the healing process.  PRP treatments are customized to the particular individual and their injury in order to be most effective.

·  Cell based therapies use cells derived from the patient’s own bone marrow or adipose (fat) tissue. These cells include adult stem cells and many other healing cells. They produce molecules that direct neighboring cells in the area to form new blood vessels, decrease inflammation and encourage formation of new healthy tissues.  Stem cells are special cells that have the unique ability to develop into the specific kind of cell needed, whether that be a tendon, ligament, cartilage or bone cell. Skilled regenerative medicine practitioners use highly specialized processes to prepare these cells that are then delivered directly to the injured area to stimulate healing.

·   Prolotherapy (Proliferative Therapy) uses dextrose and other natural substances that are injected into a chronically injured ligament, tendon, nerves or joint in order to help the body jump-start its own natural healing response.

Beware of Imposters

As regenerative treatments have become more widely recognized for their ability to address  orthopedic conditions and the chronic pain associated with it, more and more clinics are trying to get in on the action.

If you are considering regenerative treatments for pain related to osteoarthritis, tennis elbow, degenerative discs in the spine or other conditions, you should perform due diligence on the clinic that offers it.  The source, processing and delivery of the regenerative materials are critical to the success of the treatment.

Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not allow the use of stem cells derived from birth tissue products (amniotic fluid and tissue, umbilical cord blood) to treat orthopedic conditions because these donor products have not been proven to be safe or effective.  Our board-certified specialists only use your own cells (autologous) to treat orthopedic conditions.

Maximizing the effectiveness of these treatments requires a state-of-the-art facility and equipment, as well as knowledge and experience in fluoroscopic (x-ray) or ultrasound guidance to ensure targeted delivery of the healing cells to the injured area.

Orthobiologic treatments that capitalize on the body’s own natural healing abilities is one of the most exciting opportunities in modern medicine to address and resolve the chronic pain associated with orthopedic conditions that affects millions of Americans.

Drs. Christopher J. Rogers and Mary A. Ambach of San Diego Orthobiologics Medical Group together have successfully treated thousands of patients with cell based therapies for more than three decades.  They are published authors and cell therapy researchers.  Their facility in Carlsbad contains the most advanced Regenerative Medicine technology in San Diego and offers same day treatments with the highest level of safety and efficacy.

[i] https://www.aarp.org/health/alternative-medicine/info-11-2008/super_healing.html

[ii] https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/treatment/helping-fractures-heal-orthobiologics/

Painful Orthopedic Conditions Can be Treated with Orthobiologics

Painful Orthopedic Conditions Can be Treated with Orthobiologics

Oct 2, 2020

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, an estimated 1 in 5 Americans, more than 50 million people, suffer from chronic pain.  And, 20 million of these people suffer from pain that interferes with their lives every day.[i]  Advances in medicine provide new hope to those living with chronic pain.  Orthobiologics are products derived from your own cells and substances derived from those cells that are found naturally throughout the body.  They can be used to treat orthopedic conditions and in many cases, avoid the need for surgery. [ii]

Scientific evidence from years of research have shown that Orthobiologic therapies that use your own cells, such as Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) bring long-term pain relief and at the same time reduce degeneration and stimulate tissue healing.

Which conditions can be treated with Orthobiologics?

  • Joint pain due to osteoarthritis or meniscus tears
  • Shoulder pain due to rotator cuff tendon tears or tendinitis
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Golfer’s Elbow and Tennis Elbow
  • Sciatica
  • Chronic ankle ligament sprains
  • Low back pain due to degenerative discs or sacroiliac joint ligament injuries

The severity of injury as well as the patient’s overall health will influence the treatment’s ability to resolve these painful conditions.

How do Orthobiologics Work?

Stem cell therapies and platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatment offer unique healing capabilities.

Adult Stem Cells can be obtained from your own adipose tissue (fat) or bone marrow and produce molecules that directly form new blood vessels, reduce inflammation and encourage tissue healing.  The adipose and bone marrow tissues are obtained from the patient in the clinic with local anesthetic, prepared in a lab, and then injected into the anesthetized injury site.

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) use platelet cells from your own blood to reduce inflammation and stimulate healing.  Plasma, the fluid part of blood, contains hormones, electrolytes and nutrients that nourish cells during the healing process.  Platelets are cells that release growth factors and proteins that promote tissue repair.

How to find the best doctor for you:

With more and more medical clinics offering cell based therapies, it is important to ask specific questions and demand specific answers about how these treatments are performed.

Ask your doctor these important questions:

  • Which products do you use? The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows the use of your own cells and tissues that are minimally manipulated for orthopedic conditions.  Commonly used tissues include your own blood, fat or bone marrow.  Donor-derived products, such as birth tissues (e.g. umbilical cord blood, amniotic fluid, placenta and exosomes) have not been proven to be safe or effective and are not permitted by the FDA for use in the United States.
  • Are you licensed to treat my medical condition? Orthopedic conditions are typically managed by board-certified orthopedic surgeons, physical medicine physicians, fellowship trained sports medicine physicians or pain management physicians.  Chiropractors, naturopaths and primary care physicians without specialized training are not trained to diagnosis or manage these types of medical conditions.
  • Does your clinic use the proper lab equipment designed to provide customized same-day treatments? The more advanced physicians who offer orthobiologic therapy can produce a variety of types of therapy, prepared with the highest standards of lab practice.
  • Are the treatments customized to my specific medical condition? Every person is unique and the treatment must be customized to fit your condition.
  • Do you use image guidance with x-ray or ultrasound to inject the orthobiologics into the correct tissues? Fellowship trained physicians have advanced training in the proper use of image guidance to ensure safety, efficacy and comfort.
  • Do you track your patient outcomes in a data registry or participate in clinical trials?
  • Do you publish scientific papers in the peer-reviewed medical journals?

When patients do their homework and ask the right questions they will find the best healthcare provider for their specific needs.  They will learn that orthobiologics can treat chronic orthopedic conditions without the need for major orthopedic surgery, enjoy a quick recovery and regain the quality of life that they deserve.

Drs. Christopher J. Rogers and Mary A. Ambach of San Diego Orthobiologics Medical Group together have successfully treated thousands of patients with cell-based therapies for more than three decades. They are published authors and stem cell researchers.  The SDOMG facility in Carlsbad contains the most advanced Regenerative Medicine technology in San Diego and offers same day treatments with the highest level of safety, efficacy and patient satisfaction.

[i] https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6736a2.htm#:~:text=An%20estimated%2020.4%25%20(50.0%20million,adults%2C%20adults%20living%20in%20poverty%2C

[ii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3931137/#:~:text=%E2%80%9COrthobiologics%E2%80%9D%2C%20refers%20to%20the,are%20naturally%20found%20in%20body

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