Regenerative medicine is a safe, effective way to promote tissue healing and growth, restoring function to joints and soft tissues. Specialist shoulder, elbow, and knee surgeon Thomas Joseph Kovack, DO, in Columbus, Ohio, uses the most advanced forms of regenerative medicine, such as stem cells, bone marrow aspirate, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapies, to promote healing in his patients. Dr. Kovack is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon who finds patients can benefit from these therapies when they have joint damage, helping to ease pain and improve mobility. Find out more by calling Dr. Kovack today or book an appointment online.
Regenerative medicine is a treatment that uses your body’s ability to heal itself and generate new tissue. It’s a field that’s proving to be useful in helping patients heal when they have conditions such as:
Regenerative medicine is a science that’s still developing, but patients who’ve experienced the benefits have found it’s helped to ease pain and improve function.
Your body’s healing mechanisms go into action as soon as you suffer any type of damage. Your immune system deals with infection and starts the healing process, then growth factors and other powerful cells get to work healing the damaged tissues and producing new cells.
This process usually works extremely well, but on some occasions, the tissues don’t heal or regenerate completely, leaving weak spots or scarring that continues to cause pain and disability.
Dr. Kovack uses three types of regenerative medicine at his practice:
Stem cells are a special kind of cell that can transform into any other kind of cell your body might need. Stem cell therapy uses cells taken either from your own body or from donated embryonic fluid. Dr. Kovack injects the stem cells directly into the elbow, shoulder, or knee that’s causing problems, where it stimulates your natural healing abilities to make better, stronger repairs.
Similar to stem cell therapy, this technique uses cells taken from healthy bone marrow. Bone marrow contains substances that can help cartilage to regrow and reduce inflammation, making it ideal for treating arthritic joints.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) uses platelets taken from your blood. These platelets play an essential role in blood clotting and wound healing. They’re also rich in growth factors that can boost your body’s healing abilities and promote new tissue growth. Dr. Kovack extracts the platelets from your blood, concentrates the solution in a centrifuge, then injects them into the joint.
Regenerative medicine aims to fix the cause of your pain and dysfunction rather than mask it, so unlike a painkilling injection or medication, you won’t feel different straight away.
The stem cells, bone marrow, or platelets get to work as soon as Dr. Kovack gives you your injection, but every patient responds differently and it could be as little as two weeks or as much as two months before enough new cells have grown for you to feel an improvement.
Find out more about the potential benefits and uses of regenerative medicine by calling Thomas Joseph Kovack, DO, today, or book an appointment online.
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