What is Cell Therapy?
Our Combined Cell Therapy procedure utilizes 3 components of orthobiologic medicine to help reduce pain and inflammation due to osteoarthritis, soft tissue disorders, and osteonecrosis.
Mesenchymal stem cells, derived from fat and bone marrow cells in your own body, have the potential to give rise to a variety of different cell types. They are essentially “blank” cells with the ability to form into fat cells, cartilage, bone, tendon, muscle, and skin. Mesenchymal stem cells can be found in many areas of the body, with the best sources being bone marrow and adipose (fat) tissue. Due to the plasticity of these cells, they can play a large role in orthobiologic repair.
For this procedure, cells will be extracted from your own body’s fat tissue and bone marrow and injected into the affected area of your body. Your own body’s cells have the potential to reduce pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis and other orthopedic conditions. When injected into the affected area- whether it be the joint, muscle, cartilage, or bone- these cells begin to differentiate into the type of cell in that environment.
At Covington Orthopedic and Sports Medicine, Dr Darr is proud to offer orthobiologic medicine in his Covington and Metairie, Louisiana clinics for his patients. Please contact us to schedule a consultation and find out if orthobiologic medicine is the right treatment option for you.
COMPONENTS:
Platelet Rich Plasma
Platelets, which are found in the blood, were assumed to only play a role in the clotting cascade to prevent profuse bleeding. Recently, we have found that platelets actually play a crucial role in healing as well. Upon activation, platelets release various growth factors contained inside of them. These growth factors are responsible for the repair process and work with other cells in your body.
The amount of blood needed to produce Platelet Rich Plasma, or PRP, depends on the joint or tendon requiring treatment and the type of system used. The process is similar to getting blood drawn for testing or for blood donation. Once it is extracted, the blood is put into a centrifuge where it is spun at very high speeds- separating the various elements of the blood.
Fat Graft/ Adipose Cells
This step involves the extraction of fatty tissue for the harvesting of stem cells. Fat compartments are a very rich source of stem cells, specifically mesenchymal stem cells which can differentiate into cartilage, bone, and ligaments. The procedure can be compared to a smaller version of liposuction, since less fat is needed for the purposes of cell therapy.
Bone Marrow
Cells are collected by aspirating bone marrow from the posterior iliac crest. The bone marrow is a central compartment in all of your bones which produces red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and has a large concentration of Hematopoietic stem cells. Hematopoietic stem cells are responsible for creating vessels.
You may qualify if…..
