WHAT IS REGENERATIVE MEDICINE?
Regenerative medicine is a branch of medicine that involves replacing, engineering or regenerating human cells, tissues or organs to restore normal structure and function to damaged or diseased tissues and organs.
Regenerative medicine therapies take 2 approaches:
- Using live cells or biomaterials to stimulate the body’s natural healing response and repair or regenerate damaged, diseased or injured tissue that cannot heal on its own.
- Using live cells or biomaterials to build artificial, functional tissue or organs that can replace permanently damaged tissue or organs. This approach is still largely in the research phase right now.
Regenerative medicine is a complex and ever-evolving field of study that combines work in engineering, biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, genetics, medicine and robotics. Currently, several therapies for orthopedics and wound healing have received FDA approval for clinical use.
TYPES OF REGENERATIVE MEDICINE THERAPIES
Today, 2 types of regenerative medicine therapies are being used in clinical treatments.
1.) Tissue engineering. Tissue engineering uses biomaterials to create biologically compatible scaffolds that mimic the structure and function of original tissue. The scaffolds are implanted in an area where tissue healing is needed. The biomaterials introduce growth factors into a damaged area to promote natural repair and regrowth. Tissue engineering is successfully being used for cartilage repair or regeneration in damaged or injured joints.
2.) Cellular therapies. Stem cells offer unique opportunities for medical treatments. In the human body, stem cells have 2 important roles: they produce new cells and they replace damaged cells. Stem cells have the special ability to develop into different types of specialized cells (for example, muscle cells or blood cells). Cellular therapies use adult stem cells harvested from the body and injected into an area of tissue damage or disease. The cells introduce growth factors into a damaged area to promote natural repair and regrowth of healthy tissue. Another type of cellular therapy uses platelet-rich plasma injections to introduce growth factors into a damaged area and promote healing. Cellular therapies with stem cells and platelet-rich plasma are successfully being used for orthopedic injuries.
CONTACT INTEGRITY SPINE AND ORTHOPEDICS TO FIND RELIEF FROM BACK OR NECK PAIN
At Integrity Spine and Orthopedics, we specialize in identifying, diagnosing and treating a wide range of acute and chronic back, spine and joint conditions. If you’re experiencing back or joint pain, weakness, or a loss of mobility, reach out to us today to schedule a consultation with our team. We provide compassionate and comprehensive care to help you find relief from pain and get back to doing the activities you love.
Call us at 904-456-0017 or contact us online to request an appointment.