Did you know your body can organically heal itself from the inside out? Regenerative medicine can help with that. Regenerative medicine is an emerging discipline that integrates engineering and life sciences to create biological replacements that can repair, sustain, or improve tissue function.
According to statistics, in 2021, the global regenerative medicine market size was valued at USD$17 billion and is projected to reach USD$95.5 billion in 2030. This industry is expanding rapidly due to the rising demand for customized medication and the increasing incidence of chronic diseases and injuries. It’s a promising solution for better treatment outcomes and lower healthcare costs.
This article will introduce you to different types of regenerative medicine and discuss their procedures in treating various illnesses and injuries.
What Is Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerative medicine seeks to restore or repair human function by replacing human cells, tissues, or organs damaged or lost due to aging, disease, or congenital disabilities.
What Medical Conditions Does It Treat?
A wide range of medical issues has responded positively to regenerative treatment. New organs may be grown, damaged heart valves replaced, and degenerative diseases like Parkinson’shalted in their tracks with this technology. Furthermore, some regenerative healthcare products are being developed to support optimized healing for conditions such as the following:
The emergence of regenerative medicine is undoubtedly a game-changer in many therapeutic applications.
What Are The Types of Regenerative Medicine?
While more advanced regenerative medicine procedures are still in the research phase, doctors can do miracles with the following types of regenerative therapy:
In orthopedics and regenerative medicine, allograft therapy products have become increasingly popular because of their reputation for safety and efficacy. These products come in injectable liquid and patch forms to help ensure faster healing and sustained effects in various musculoskeletal disorders.
Allograft products have undergone extensive testing to ensure their safety. They’ve been demonstrated to be effective in treating various injuries and ailments, including muscle tears, joint replacement, orthopedic surgery, cartilage and tendon rips, and inflammatory disorders like arthritis, bursitis, and tendinitis.
Healthcare practitioners now have access to cutting-edge solutions for a wide range of orthopedic disorders, from surgical wound coverings to injectable pain management interventions, made possible by the extensive line of allograft goods on the market.
Stem cells are the primary building elements of life, and they’represent in the human body from conception. Their essentialfunction is to divide and produce new cells to provide a foundation for all organs and tissues. Stem cells are used in regenerative medicine to repair and replace damaged tissues due to their unique ability to transform into various cell types.
In orthopedic treatments, stem cell therapy has demonstrated potential in repairing cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and bone degeneration. Researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine have developed a method to rebuild the joint cushion cartilage in both mice and human tissue. Furthermore, they’ve discovered a way to restore articular cartilage by damaging the joint tissue and using chemical signals to direct the expansion of skeletal stem cells as the wounds heal.
It’s estimated that 58.5 million Americans are diagnosed with arthritis—a condition which is primarily due to the loss of articular cartilage. This type of regenerative medicine has the potential to improve their quality of life dramatically.
During platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, a small amount of the patient’s blood is collected and filtered in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets. The doctor then injects this highly potent fluid into the affected area.
Platelets are specialized blood cells that help with clotting. When a blood vessel is ruptured, platelets move to the injury site to stop the bleeding and prevent additional tissue damage. In a process known as aggregation, these reinforcements adhere to the remaining platelets. Once the injury has been clotted, the body’s other healing chemicals and nutrients produce new tissue.
PRP therapy is notably prevalent in sports medicine, where it has been used successfully to treat everything from tennis and golf elbow to pitchers’ rotator cuff injuries.
The healing properties of our fat cells are harnessed in a procedure called lipogems. Typically, the fat in our body contains different types of cells, such as stem cells, which can be used to replace or repair damaged tissues. However, there’s a clinical argument that the injected compounds extracted from human body fat tend to linger in the damaged location, which prolongs the healing and therapeutic effects.
Lipogems therapy is not drastically different from platelet-rich plasma treatment. The doctor employs a minimally invasive procedure to harvest a targeted area of fat, which is then subjected to further processing. Blood, fatty oils, and other unwanted substances are removed, leaving only the fat cells for injection.
Furthermore, tissue regeneration takes a few weeks to a few months to achieve full effectiveness. This is because the concept of all regenerative medicine is the growth and replacement of brand-new bodily tissue, which takes time, even when accelerated artificially.
Who Are Qualified For Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerative therapy can help anyone experiencing aches and pains due to aging or injury. Often, invasive surgery is the only option; however, it’s also quite expensive, has some risks, and necessitates a period of rest and recovery.
In addition, there are some issues that surgeons cannot fix. For instance, a herniated disc in the spine can’t be repairedsurgically but can be treated with regenerative medicine. While traditional surgery can improve a torn rotator cuff, doing so and waiting a year to restore full strength is not an option for most people. A regenerative approach usually allows the injury to heal in months without discomfort.
Lastly, it’s important to remember that even in today’s cutting-edge technology, some bodily issues still can’t be identified to merit a surgical procedure. As an alternative to potentially unnecessary invasive medical procedures, regenerative therapies provide a possible solution.
Conclusion
If you’ve been suffering from chronic back or joint discomfort, you owe it to yourself to consider regenerative medicine. Remember that the effects of chronic pain extend beyond the areas of the body and mind directly impacted by it. It interrupts your sleep and diminishes your outlook on life. In addition, it might negatively affect your daily life and interactions with your loved ones. Consider the different types of regenerative medicine mentioned above and decide which one suits your needs. Keep in mind that pain is not something you must endure.
