Regenerative medicine is the restorative process used to restructure and improve the function of damaged tissues, organs, joints, and nerves on a cellular level.
Over the past ten to twenty years the medical field has grown exponentially. Medications have been created and improved upon, surgeries are now being performed remotely and more recently, the world of regenerative medicine has exploded on the scene as a major player in the medical industry. What was once considered experimental and controversial research has turned into a thriving industry that keeps pushing forward and breaking new ground.
Regenerative medicine is the restorative process used to restructure and improve the function of damaged tissues, organs, joints, and nerves on a cellular level. It has proven affective in treating a variety of musculoskeletal conditions, ranging from cervical/lumbar pain, to knees that are bone on bone, to something as simple as plantar fasciitis. Patients are treated using different cellular based therapies such as lasers, PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma), stem cells, prolotherapy, exosomes, etc.
Regenerative medicine can be administered for both preventative measures as well as existing conditions to help avoid surgeries, prescription pain pills, and steroid injections; all of which have the potential to further deteriorate your health long term. Why is that so important?
When a patient makes the decision to undergo surgery or receive injections they typically only focus on an isolated area of the body temporarily taking care of only a portion of the pain experienced. Key word being temporarily. By hyper-focusing on the “one” problem and not addressing the body as a whole, patients often find themselves back at square one, if not worse than before. Regenerative medicine takes a systematic, long lasting, whole body approach to relieving pain, rather than treating and masking the symptoms only. This approach allows the original source of the issue to be tracked down and treated along with the symptomatic issues. For example, when a patient experiences SI Joint pain or discomfort, it will typically not only present itself only in the region of the joint, but also down the leg, tightening the IT band which can ultimately cause knee pain. Taking all of this into consideration, a treatment protocol can be created to ensure that the patient has been rid of both the referred pain and the primary source of pain.
It should be noted however, that regenerative medicine is not a drug, it is not an overnight fix, and it is not always right for every condition or individual. It is an attempt to regenerate the natural state and function of your body. So how does someone find out if regenerative medicine is right for him or her?
With regenerative medicine now at an all time peak of discussion it is extremely important to become your own advocate and educate yourself on what these modalities can really do for you. We as a society have been conditioned to trust in initial diagnoses given with no hope. A primary example is the amount of knee and back surgeries that are done a year that could have been prevented by using regenerative medicine. There are numerous ways to become informed about this type of medicine; however, it is crucial to meet with a professional who is well educated on the matter. Setting up an appointment with an informed individual or even attending a seminar is a great way to obtain the knowledge so you can make an informed decision on what is right for you.