BMAC Q & A

What is BMAC?

Bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) is a stem cell therapy used by the doctors at Optimal Pain & Regenerative Medicine® to regenerate tissues and heal a wide range of musculoskeletal problems.

This is an autologous stem cell treatment because the stem cells come from your bone marrow. That’s why it’s called bone marrow aspirate concentrate stem cell therapy.

What health conditions may benefit from BMAC?

The adult stem cells harvested from your bone marrow continuously divide and create new stem cells that develop into numerous types of cells. The new cells maintain your health by replacing old tissues and repairing damaged tissues.

One type of stem cell that’s abundant in your bone marrow, mesenchymal stem cells, regenerates muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and blood vessels. As a result, BMAC is a successful treatment for acute and chronic orthopedic conditions such as:

  • Cartilage injuries
  • Tendon and ligament injuries
  • Non-union fractures
  • Osteonecrosis
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Fractures
  • Rotator cuff tears
  • Spine conditions

This is only a partial list, however, as BMAC helps heal many health conditions responsible for knee, hip, back, neck, and shoulder pain.

What should I expect during a BMAC procedure?

The doctors at Optimal Pain & Regenerative Medicine® usually perform BMAC under sedation to ensure your comfort when they harvest the stem cells. For most patients, the bone marrow is extracted from their hip, although it may come from other areas of your body.

Your doctor inserts a hollow needle into the hip bone and uses a syringe to withdraw a sample of bone marrow. They process the bone marrow to separate the different components, including platelets, white blood cells, and stem cells for your injection.

As soon as the stem cell mixture is ready, your Optimal Pain & Regenerative Medicine® doctor injects it back into your body. Your doctor precisely places the stem cells at the site of your damaged tissues.

After they’re in your body, the cells and platelets do their normal jobs, accelerating healing, regulating inflammation, and regenerating new tissues.

Following BMAC stem cell therapy, you feel sore at the site of the injection. This could last a few days but gradually improves as healing progresses. You can get back to your normal daily activities and light exercise, but you should avoid intense exercise for several days.

If you have a slow-healing injury, osteoarthritis, or ongoing pain, call Optimal Pain & Regenerative Medicine® or book an appointment online.