Stem cell therapy is a very new and advanced form of regenerative medicine that utilizes the body’s own, amazing, natural healing mechanisms to treat a host of conditions. Stem cells have been used in regenerative medicine for years now to renew and repair any diseased or damaged tissues, and has shown potentially great results in regards to healing orthopedic, cardiovascular, neuromuscular, and autoimmune conditions.
The tissues all over your body are not the same as they were 10 years ago. All of our body tissues are constantly breaking down and building back up. There is a harmonious balance between tissue breakdown and new tissue formation. In fact, some scientists believe that because the balance slowly shifts over time to tissue breakdown that is the reason that we age! Did you know your skin replaces itself fully every 30 days? Blood cells do the same roughly every 30-40 days The lining of our GI tract sloughs off in tiny amounts every day and is completely replaced in a month. The body is constantly replacing and repairing itself, it truly never stops.
Stem Cells – the Beginning
Doctors began to experiment with stem cells long ago, with the hope that putting fresh living stem cells into an injured joint would somehow turn back time and repair some of the damage. Turns out, that works! Eventually, after lots of research and trial and error scientist were able to determine they get the best results from injecting stem cells into and around arthritic joints and this did lead to tissue repair and in some cases even fostered the growth of new cartilage. As science has developed further and further the science behind stem cells has solidified as well, it’s widely accepted and used at this point.
This is a revolutionary concept in medicine – something that most people only dreamed would one day be possible just as recently as 25 years ago! This is similar to the concept of curing cancer by inducing the body’s own immune system to make antibodies and specialized killer cells that destroy cancer. This same concept is behind the fact that we can use vaccines to induce antibodies to fight and prevent disease. Edward Jenner prevented smallpox this way in the late 1700’s, and doctors used horse serum with antibodies against influenza to treat patients during the Great Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918. And scientists TODAY are doing the exact same thing right now to fight COVID 19.
How Orthopedic Treatment Utilizes Stem Cells
The unique self-regeneration and differentiating ability of embryonic stem cells can be used in regenerative medicine. These stem cells can be derived from a number of different sources, but the important thing to note is that they’re all autologous, which means they are only taken from and used on your own body, nowhere else. You will always be 100% informed about every detail of what we are doing. We work hard to keep our patients healthy AND educated so they can keep up with their own health. These cells can be and have been used to treat so many different areas of the body; we’ll list them out here below so you can get some rough idea of what we offer and if it can do anything to help alleviate your pain and struggles!
Stem Cell Treatment In the Lower Back
At NeoGenix, we have excellent results with our proprietary lower back protocol which involves injecting bone marrow stem cells or growth factors into the arthritic facet and sacro-iliac joints using real-time fluoroscopy. Learn more about stem cell treatment for the lower back.
Stem Cell Treatment for the Knee
NeoGenix specializes in non-surgical knee arthritis treatment. Stem cell therapy is a natural treatment for knee arthritis. At NeoGenix, we almost always recommend a combined approach of high dose stem cells with collagen-based matrix or scaffolding because knee injury treatment requires an aggressive approach to prevent it from worsening. Learn more about stem cell treatment for the knee.
Stem Cell Treatment for the Hip
Treating arthritis in the hips requires aggressive treatment to try to prevent it from worsening. At NeoGenix we almost always recommend a combined approach of high dose stem cells with collagen-based matrix or scaffolding so that you can see the best possible results. Learn more about stem cell treatment for the hip.
Stem Cell Treatment for Shoulders
NeoGenix specializes in non-surgical shoulder injuries treatment and conditions that cause shoulder pain. Stem cell therapy is a natural treatment for shoulder injuries and conditions that cause shoulder pain. Depending on the severity and type of problem, shoulders can be treated with everything from growth factors all the way up to high dose stem cells with collagen-based matrix or scaffolding. At NeoGenix, we will examine your shoulder, review your imaging and will determine the best type of stem cell treatment for your shoulder pain or injury. Learn more about stem cell treatment for the shoulder.
Stem Cell Treatment for the Wrist & Hand
Arthritis is common in wrist joints, fingers, and especially at the base of the thumbs. These are small joints so we usually recommend a liquid-type regenerative product such as bone marrow stem cells or growth factors, depending on the underlying severity. Learn more about stem cell treatment for the hand & wrist.
Stem Cell Treatment for the Elbow
Both tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow are essentially tendonitis. Both conditions can be treated with bone marrow stem cells or growth factors, depending on the chronicity and severity of the underlying problem. Arthritis of the elbow joint itself can also be treated with bone marrow stem cells or growth factors. Learn more about stem cell treatment for the elbow.
Stem Cell Treatment for the Neck
Neck pain is common since so many of us sit and stare at computers all day long like you are doing right this moment. This puts stress on neck joints, discs, and muscles. At NeoGenix, we use liquid-based bone marrow stem cell or growth factor injections to treat chronically inflamed neck muscles with excellent results. Learn more about stem cell treatment for the Neck.
Stem Cell Treatment for Foot & Ankle
Although less common than knee arthritis, ankle arthritis is a frequent problem and is amenable to bone marrow stem cell or growth factor injections. Heel spurs, aka. plantar fasciitis is a common condition that responds better to bone marrow stem cells or growth factors than it does to even cortisone, and studies have proven this! Lastly, Achilles’ tendon issues are common in runners. We have tremendous success with bone marrow stem cell or growth factor injections into these painful tendons, allowing people to resume their active lives. Learn more about stem cell treatment for the foot & ankle.
So why doesn’t the body just heal all this stuff on its own? Why can’t we repair damaged cartilage before it gets thinner and thinner, eventually leading to denuded areas of bone on bone arthritis? The simple reason is that joints do not have adequate circulation. There is no artery inside any joint. Cartilage gets oxygen and nutrients that diffuse or are dissolved in tissue fluid that comes from the underlying bones. This circulation is enough to keep it alive but is not adequate enough to repair the damage that occurs with trauma, repetitive use, and aging.
Stem cell therapy is not yet a ‘cure’ for arthritis or any other orthopedic issues, but it is the first and only treatment ever devised that can change the natural course of degenerative arthritis. All other arthritis treatments, from cortisone, gel shots, pain medications, etc. have never been able to slow down the inexorable deterioration of arthritis. Our hope with stem cell therapy, even in those with advanced disease facing joint replacement surgery, is that we can slow down the progression of disease in order to delay surgery or prevent surgery altogether.