The doctors and staff at Metro Orthopedics & Sports Therapy (M.O.S.T) in Potomac, Maryland offer cutting-edge regenerative medicine treatments, such as platelet-rich plasma injections, to facilitate healing and support injury recovery. When you’ve sustained an injury, regenerative medicine harnesses and targets your body’s own ability to heal. If you want to learn more, call or schedule a consultation online today. “M.O.S.T” serves the communities of Bethesda, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Olney, Washington DC, Chevy Chase, Frederick, Poolesville, McLean, VA, Dulles, VA, and Fairfax, VA.
Regenerative Medicine Q & A
What is Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerative medicine is a minimally-invasive treatment used in addition to or instead of surgery to address injuries. Regenerative medicine harnesses your body’s natural healing abilities to target specific injuries.
The physicians at Metro Orthopedics & Sports Therapy use prolotherapy, stem cell therapy, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to help you recover from injuries (specifically tendon, ligament, cartilage, and bone injuries).
What is Prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy is an injection of a dextrose solution that stimulates your body’s healing response and a local anesthetic to reduce discomfort during and after the injection.
The injection causes a mild inflammatory response in your injured or weakened area, which triggers the growth of new fibers to restore and repair the area with the gradual development of new healthy tissue. The new tissue tightens and strengthens your joint, resolving pain and helping you get back to your normal activities.
What is Stem Cell Therapy?
Stem cells are the building blocks of our bodies. Not only can they divide infinitely to make new cells, but they can change into a wide variety of cells that make up your body. Stem cell therapy harnesses this capacity to help the body heal injuries. The stem cells are either harvested from you or a human donor and then injected into your injury site to support the healing process.
What are Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections?
Platelet-rich plasma injections are a specific form of pro-lo therapy. Platelets are the cells in your blood responsible for the clotting function, but they also contain significant amounts of growth factors and cytokines that stimulate soft tissue and bone healing.
Your doctor begins PRP therapy by drawing your blood, which is then separated in a centrifuge to create a small amount of platelet-rich plasma. This serum contains five to 10 times more growth factors than normal blood.
Your doctor then injects the PRP serum in and around your injury or weakened area, and the concentrated growth factors initiate the tissue repair process.
What Conditions Does Regenerative Medicine Help?
The physicians at Metro Orthopedics & Sports Therapy use regenerative medicine therapies to treat a variety of injuries or conditions where the tissue is slow to heal. Some of the common conditions treated include:
- Partial rotator cuff tears
- Calcific tendonitis in the shoulder, knee, or ankle
- Tennis or golfer’s elbow
- Achilles’ tendonitis
- Plantar fasciitis
- Back pain
- Bone fractures
If you have questions about how regenerative medicine can help you recover more quickly, call Metro Orthopedics & Sports Therapy or book an appointment online today.
