What Is Regenerative Medicine

While traditional medicine continues to advance, patients’ needs are evolving more quickly than ever before. As people age, we experience longer healing times, increased inflammation, and the adverse effects of cell aging. Many physicians can manage these symptoms with medications, devices, or physical medicine. These practices sometimes provide short-term relief, but the best approach in many cases is to regenerate the damaged tissues. Regenerative Medicine is a fast-growing branch of medicine that involves replacing, repairing, and regenerating human cells. These procedures often use the patient’s own bodily tissues, although tissues obtained from outside sources have proven equally, if not more effective. Introducing these cells into injured areas of the body can drastically accelerate healing while reducing pain and restoring function. This occurs as the injected cells recruit growth factors, proteins, and other properties necessary to heal and regenerate tissue.

There are many subcategories of Regenerative Medicine. These include  Stem Cell Therapy , Growth Factor Therapy, and Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) , among others. When combined with traditional forms of therapy, including  physical medicine and  rehab , these procedures can lead to significant healing.

PRP uses the growth factors within the patient’s own blood to regenerate damaged tissues. A medical professional draws the blood and separates it to isolate the beneficial components before injecting it into the tissues. The procedure is relatively quick and can provide positive results for numerous orthopedic conditions. Furthermore, this modality has proven especially effective for most types of soft-tissue injuries to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

Stem Cell Therapy commonly uses bone marrow, adipose (fat), Wharton’s Jelly, and other material to heal tissues. These allografts can signal the cell types necessary to heal most tissues throughout the body. This includes bone, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and more. Once introduced to the body, the growth factors and proteins in the cells serve as a scaffold, while the necessary cell types regenerate tissue. For stem cell procedures, Austin Preferred only uses tissues from FDA-regulated tissue banks in the United States. We realize the commitment our patients make when electing for Regenerative Medicine treatment in Austin, so we strive to use the best products for the best possible results. 

These procedures have proven effective for healing injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bone. Regenerative Medicine has already helped many patients reclaim a normal active lifestyle, without turning to prescription drugs or surgeries. Although we cannot guarantee these results for every patient, when compared to the cost and recovery time related to surgical procedures, Regenerative Medicine warrants serious consideration for some. These therapies are also creating waves within the healthcare industry as possible solutions for blood diseases, cancers, and even diabetes, to name a few. 

What It Treats

Our options for Regenerative Medicine treatments in Austin can effectively address many common conditions, including:

• Osteoarthritis
• Nerve Pain
• Shoulder Pain
• Knee Pain
• Carpal Tunnel
• Ligament Tears
• Rotator Cuff Tears
• Tennis Elbow
• Golf Elbow