Regenerative medicine represents what may turn out to be the greatest leap forward in medicine since the discover of penicillin. Regenerative medicine is based upon harnessing the potential regenerative processes of adult stem cells, as well as other therapies such as tissue engineering.
In short, it is an emerging field that may allow for new forms of treatment that can heal or replace tissues and organs damaged by disease, birth defects and even injury. Researchers are working tirelessly to create treatments that can renew and recreate the human body in ways that previous generations could only imagine.
The FDA has already approved several such therapies, allowing doctors to use adult stem cells to help speed healing or create new tissues–such as damaged spinal discs. Adult stem cells are a form of undifferentiated cells, which mean that they have the capability to create other kinds of cells. In a sense, they are mother cells, which can give rise to brand new tissues and organs, as needed.
Each form of tissue in the human body has its very own specific set of stem cells that can be harvested from the patient’s own body, and then used to potentially replace and rebuild things such as nerves, hearts and lungs at a cellular level. In the past, the best we could do was to replace such organs with those removed from a donor. Regenerative medicine may hold the key to affordable, long-term treatments for diseases which are currently untreatable.
Right now, stem cell injections are being used with other non-invasive therapies such as platelet rich plasma, or PRP, to target chronic pain and help patients heal faster. (PRP is created using the patient’s own blood which is treated and then reinjected into damaged tissue in order to speed repair, reduce inflammation, and increase positive outcomes.)
At Pain Specialists of Austin, we are on the leading edge of regenerative medical treatment modalities. We have the advanced skills and training you need to treat injuries and illness, as well as sophisticated and innovative forms of pain management.
If you or someone you love might benefit from regenerative therapies, or you would like to learn more about the latest advances in pain management including 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.