How does Regenerative Medicine work?
When soft tissue is damaged, the body’s natural response is to deliver platelets to the area of injury. Platelets release growth factors, which promote the repair and regeneration of connective tissue, and call stem cells to the damaged area. With Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), a small amount of blood is drawn from the patient’s body and placed in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets. When more of a stem cell load is required, fat and/or bone marrow can be combined with the PRP to create an Autologous Regenerative Matrix (ARM). The PRP, fat, and/or bone marrow are then injected into the damaged tissue, jump-starting the body’s natural healing process, allowing for tissue regeneration without the use of surgery.
Commonly treated areas
- Tendons
- Muscles
- Ligaments
- Cartilage
- Nerves
Commonly treated conditions
- Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow
- Rotator Cuff Tears
- Plantar Fasciosis
- Meniscal tears
- Osteoarthritis
What are the advantages?
- Uses body’s natural healing response and Safe
- Shorter recovery
- No scarring
- Cost effective
What are the expected results?
The body’s natural healing response is jump-started via the inflammatory cascade. Therefore, there is a temporary increase in pain with the initial inflammation up to a couple weeks. This inflammatory pain does resolve and improvement begins. Tendons are stronger within five days, and there is a gradual increase in the normalization of the damaged tissue with time.
Joseph J. Albano, M.D.
Salt Lake Regional Medical Center
www.saltlakeregional.com
