In our country every day there are hospitals, rehabilitation centers and even sports clubs that bet on regenerative medicine for tissue regeneration and to put an end to, or at least improve muscle injuries or pathologies such as, for example, osteoarthritis.
But it is that, in addition, treatments are applied that are less invasive, faster in their application and, in addition, with much faster recovery that if the patient goes through the operating room.
Taking into account the benefits that regenerative medicine has on patients, the Ruber Juan Bravo hospital complex has promoted an important and ambitious stem cell regenerative medicine program for the treatment of joint and tendon pathology.
Decreased pain, the main benefit
The Dr. Jesús Vilá y Rico, Head of the Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Serviceexplains that “treatment with growth factors and stem cells, applied to slow the progression of osteoarthritisespecially in large load-bearing joints such as the knee or hip.
«They also promote cartilage repair and reduce the characteristic symptoms of osteoarthritis.: synovial inflammation, effusion, deformity, pain, loss of movement, etc. It is also applied to bone, tendon and muscle injuries to reduce their recovery time », he adds.
Decreased pain and inflammation It is the main benefit of this type of treatment. But it is that, in addition, no side effects nor risk of rejection or intolerance, since it comes from the patient’s own blood.
In addition, in the case of tendon and muscle injuries healing is much faster. This treatment is only contraindicated in case of local infection, neoplastic processes and certain blood diseases.
How is the treatment?
For your application, first blood is drawn from the patient, then it is processed and the portion of the plasma rich in growth factors is infiltrated into the area to be treated. The process, which can take between 25 and 40 minutesis done in a sterile environment.
With respect to number of infiltrationsin joint pathology, which is the most frequent, three sessions are held over three consecutive weeks, with a refresher session following six months or one year if the evolution is favourable. For the rest of the pathologies the protocol may be differentbut there is no recovery period following an infiltration, so that the patient can lead a normal daily life from the first moment
Growth factors produce biological effects such as cell proliferation and differentiation, the generation of blood vessels and the migration of cells to the places where regeneration is necessary. No exogenous agent can effectively mediate all of these processes.
A real alternative to reconstructive surgery
Stem cell infiltration is an alternative to reconstructive surgery in cases of chronic tendinopathies, acute tendon ruptures, chronic tendon ruptures and ligament ruptures and osteonecrosis.
In ligament surgeries, such as the anterior cruciate, extraordinary results have also been obtained. In the case of muscle injuries, more important than reduced recovery time is that the use of plasma rich in factors allows recovery without the formation of fibrous tissue.
It is also used in the adjuvant treatment of osteochondral injuries in order to favor the regenerative process of the fibrocartilage, as well as in patellar tendon pathology, acute or chronic tendinitis and ligamentous injuries.
