29 May How and When Regenerative Medicine Can Prevent Orthopedic Surgery
By Farhan Malik, MD
Atlanta Innovative Medicine
For a long time, conventional orthopedic medicine has been too quick to prioritize surgical treatment—often presenting orthopedic surgery as the only option for patients experiencing chronic and injury-related pain. However, advancements in regenerative medicine are proving that this is not the case, as continuously developing treatments offer medical providers more and more options for treating patients without the need for expensive and invasive orthopedic surgery.
What Issues Can Regenerative Medicine Address?
Knee, neck, and back pain are some of the most common candidates for regenerative medicine, as these areas are particularly prone to degeneration, injury, and wear and tear. However, regenerative treatments can be used to treat pain all throughout the body, including:
- Shoulder pain
- Hip, buttock, and groin pain
- Ankle and foot pain, like plantar fasciitis
- Hand and wrist pain, like carpal tunnel syndrome
- Elbow and arm pain
- TMJ
While some orthopedic issues may require surgery as the first line of treatment, the majority can be largely healed through natural methods like regenerative medicine. Unlike some nonsurgical methods, regenerative medicine actually heals rather than just conceals the pain; and unlike orthopedic surgery, it heals injuries naturally, stimulating the body’s own regenerative processes to repair tissue, reduce inflammation, and promote the healing of muscles, ligaments, and joints.
Addressing Knee Pain With Regenerative Medicine
One of the most common issues we see in our Atlanta clinic is knee pain. Because it is so integral to movement, knee pain can significantly impact daily activities and diminish one’s quality of life. Common causes of knee pain include:
- Osteoarthritis
- ACL or other knee ligament injuries
- Meniscus tears
- Patellar tendon tears
With great potential for cartilage repair, regenerative treatments have shown impressive success in repairing each of these and other knee issues. By choosing regenerative medicine, many of our patients at AIM have been able to fully recover and avoid the orthopedic surgery that was initially recommended to them.
Addressing Neck Pain With Regenerative Medicine
The neck includes the cervical spine that connects your head to the rest of your body—damage in this crucial area can quickly cause a compound of issues, like headaches, nerve pain, and limited mobility. Common causes of neck pain include:
- Whiplash Injuries
- Worn joints
- Nerve compression
- Degeneration of discs in the neck
Surgical intervention for these issues, like laminectomy or artificial disc replacement, involve risks and recovery that may not be necessary with regenerative treatments. Especially when combined with treatments like stem cell therapy, ozone injections, and platelet-rich plasma therapy can quickly and effectively repair and strengthen ligaments to improve stability in the neck, expand mobility, and relieve pain.
Addressing Back Pain with Regenerative Medicine
Back pain is a prevalent condition that affects millions of people worldwide—and because there are so many conditions and injuries that can cause back pain, misdiagnosis is common, making it especially important to explore less aggressive treatment options prior to orthopedic surgery. Common causes of back pain include:
- Spinal Stenosis
- Sacroiliac joint pain
- Herniated discs and lumbar radiculopathy
- Strains and sprains
- Disc issues and pinched nerves
- Fractures
While surgeries like spinal decompression and discectomy may be necessary in some cases, many of these back issues—even when moderate to severe—can be largely mitigated using one or a combination of regenerative treatments that stimulate targeted healing in the ligaments, tendons, and spine for safe and natural recovery.
Subscribe for Expert Insights and Our Ebook
A Closer Look at Regenerative Medicine: Comparing Your Options Learn about treatment options like Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), Prolozone Therapy, and Stem Cell Therapy.
Types Of Regenerative Treatments For Orthopedic Issues
Some of the most advanced regenerative treatments include platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, Prolozone therapy, prolotherapy, hemozone therapy, and stem cell therapy—each of which works in a different way to trigger a healing response in the body and regenerate tissue at the source of pain. By doing so, these treatments naturally make the repairs that orthopedic surgery seeks to correct.
Prolotherapy as an Alternative to Orthopedic Surgery
Prolotherapy involves the injection of a natural irritant to stimulate the body’s healing response and activate the body’s fibroblasts, cells that help form connective tissues and increase blood flow for more rapid healing. Prolotherapy is a common first-stage or supplemental treatment for back pain that can help patients initiate the healing process and avoid orthopedic surgery for back pain and other issues.
Prolozone therapy as an Alternative to Orthopedic Surgery
Prolozone therapy combines the principles of ozone therapy and prolotherapy. It involves injecting a mixture of ozone and nutrients into damaged tissues or joints, promoting oxygenation, reducing inflammation, and stimulating tissue regeneration. Because Prolozone is a gas, it can cover a much larger treatment area than a liquid injection, making it highly effective for treating large areas and hard-to-reach injuries. For this reason, it is commonly used as an alternative for spinal surgeries and disc repairs in the neck.
Hemozone therapy as an Alternative to Orthopedic Surgery
Hemozone therapy combines ozone and PRP injections to enhance oxygen delivery, boost immune function, and decrease inflammation. Because its compounded therapeutic effect both relieves pain and aids ligament repair at the same time, hemozone therapy helps patients heal and resume their normal activity particularly quickly. This makes it a popular treatment for tendon injuries, like jumper’s knee and tennis elbow, which generally take a long time to heal without surgical intervention.
Stem Cell Therapy as an Alternative to Orthopedic Surgery
Stem cell therapy involves collecting a small sample of the patient’s adipose or bone marrow tissue, which contains millions of stem cells and growth factors, concentrating it, and injecting it back into the damaged tissue. Stem cells can differentiate into various cell types, facilitating the repair of injured joints, ligaments, and discs. Because of the enormous regenerative capacity of stem cells, this treatment is particularly effective for more severe or widespread damage.
Though it involves a small incision for the collection of tissue, stem cell therapy is very safe and requires little to no recovery time, making it a much better alternative to orthopedic surgery for patients suffering a wide variety of pain types and injuries.
Regenerative Medicine at Atlanta Innovative Medicine
At AIM, we are dedicated to providing our patients with comprehensive and personalized care that focuses on their unique needs. We understand that every patient is different and that their orthopedic issues require individualized attention. That’s why we take a tailored and integrative approach to regenerative medicine, combining various treatment methods to ensure the best possible outcomes through the least aggressive approach possible.
Our team of experienced medical professionals carefully evaluates each patient’s condition, considering their medical history, symptoms, and diagnostic results. By gaining a comprehensive understanding of the underlying causes of their pain or injury, we can develop a customized treatment plan that addresses the root issues and promotes true healing to prevent the need for orthopedic surgery.
We invite you to take the first step toward a pain-free and surgery-free future. Contact AIM today to schedule a consultation with our expert team, who believes that surgery should always be the last resort.
Let us develop a tailored treatment plan that addresses your specific orthopedic concerns and helps you regain your mobility and vitality. Give us a call today: 770.416.9995
Quizzes
Are you a candidate for Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerative medicine can be an effective therapy and treatment option for lasting pain relief for a variety of conditions like osteoarthritis of the knee, hip or shoulder; ACL or meniscus tears; tennis or golfer’s elbow; chronic neck and back pain; and more.
Is it right for you and your condition? Take 1 minute to answer a few “yes or no” questions that help to assess if you might be a candidate for PRP, stem cell or other nonsurgical regenerative treatments.
Are You a Stem Cell Candidate for Your Joint or Spine Damage?
Are you a candidate for Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy?
Do I have nonsurgical options for my injured or aging joints?
Take the Pain Medications Risk Quiz
Regenerative Medicine.
Reimagined
- Advanced hybrid therapies, including Mesenchymal Stem Cell therapy combined with different mechanisms of action that synergistically come together to support ultimate healing
- More powerful PRP that’s customized, amplified and personalized
- Therapies delivered by an experienced, compassionate team comprised of multidisciplinary experts in traditional and alternative medicine working as your team: Medical Doctors, Nurse Practitioners, Physiotherapists and Chiropractors
- Advanced training through the American Academy of Orthopedic Medicine, the American Osteopathic Association of Prolotherapy Regenerative Medicine, and more
All content of this page is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Individual results may vary. Your medical professional can explain all the risks and potential benefits of any therapy based on your specific circumstances. At this time regenerative therapies are not FDA approved. Neither Atlanta Innovative Medicine nor its physician affiliates promise regenerative therapies as a cure for any condition, disease, or injury.
Other Atlanta Areas We Service:
© 2024 Atlanta Innovative Medicine, LLC. All Rights Reserved. AIM Scholarship Opportunity
