Adult stem cells are called undifferentiated cells, meaning that they can change to create other kinds of specialized cells. There are many different types of these stem cells within your body. Each kind of tissue in your body has a specific set of stem cells. This means that they can be taken from your own body from blood, bone marrow, skin, bone, skeletal muscle, teeth and other organs.
Because the cells are extracted from your own body, anything they are used to treat is specific to you. This means that it will not be rejected by your body. Basically, you can think of stem cells as the mother-cells which can build your entire body “from scratch”.
Although rapid progress is being made, stem cell treatment is still in its infancy. The implications of the kind of treatment, however, are massive and far-reaching. New breakthroughs in stem cell treatments are happening almost every day. For example, stem cells can be used to help repair the damage caused by accidents and chronic illnesses, such as injury to spines and spinal disks.
In the future, stem cells are likely to be used to grow new nerves and spinal tissue, as well as to help cure diabetes and help people recover from heart attacks. Right now, research is ongoing and beginning to be applied to re-growing spinal disks, repairing torn cartilage, to treat diseases like Alzheimer’s, and even re-growing your own natural teeth. Doctors are using carefully placed stem cells to help people heal faster and more completely.
Stem cell injections are also being used as a form on non-invasive therapies to help relieve chronic pain, such as that of long-term muscle and joint pain. They may be a viable treatment option for people with degenerative disks who are not ideal candidates for a more traditional therapy. Stem cell therapy can be used in conjunction with other treatments, such as surgery and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. PRP is created from blood taken from the patient’s own body and used to speed healing and reduce inflammation.
At Pain Specialists of Austin, we understand pain and know how to work alongside you to give you the expert medical treatment you need, combined with the compassionate care you deserve. If you or someone you love suffers from chronic pain, or you would like to learn more about the latest advances in pain management or about stem cell therapy, please call (855) 876-7246 for an experienced pain management doctor in Austin. Or, if you would like, please use our convenient online appointment request form.