Autologous Stem Cell Injection Q & A
What are autologous stem cells?
Autologous stem cells are your body’s natural healers. They continuously self-replicate, producing new cells that develop into the numerous tissues you need to stay strong and healthy.
You have many types of adult autologous stem cells throughout your body and, for as long as you live, they continue to regenerate new cells to replace old tissues and heal injured tissues and disease.
What are autologous stem cell injections?
Autologous stem cell injections contain a high concentration of adult stem cells, often combined with other healing cells such as platelets and white blood cells.
When your doctor at Optimal Pain & Regenerative Medicine® injects autologous stem cells at the site of your injury, they immediately do their natural job of regenerating the tissues needed to heal your body.
Autologous stem cell injections also speed up healing and release substances that communicate with and activate healing activity in the surrounding cells.
What health conditions benefit from autologous stem cell injections?
The doctors at Optimal Pain & Regenerative Medicine® often recommend autologous stem cell injections for orthopedic injuries and degenerative diseases such as arthritis.
Regenerative treatment with autologous stem cells often targets musculoskeletal problems because the technology is available to harvest adult stem cells called mesenchymal stem cells.
When injected, mesenchymal autologous stem cells regenerate collagen, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, muscles, and blood vessels. As a result, stem cell injections heal conditions such as:
- Osteoarthritis
- Rotator cuff tears
- Meniscus tears
- Torn ligaments
- Tendon injuries
- Non-union fractures
- Osteonecrosis
- Degenerative disc disease
The team at Optimal Pain & Regenerative Medicine® may consider autologous stem cell therapy for most conditions that cause back, neck, hip, shoulder, and knee pain.
Where do the autologous stem cells for my injection come from?
The doctors at Optimal Pain & Regenerative Medicine® can extract adult autologous stem cells from several areas of your body, but for stem cell injections, they normally harvest the cells from your bone marrow. This is called bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) stem cell therapy.
After applying anesthesia, your doctor inserts a hollow needle into your hip bone and withdraws a sample of bone marrow. The marrow is processed in the office to separate the adult autologous stem cells, platelets, and white blood cells from other bone marrow components. Then the stem cell mixture is immediately injected back into your body.
After your autologous stem cell injection, you can get back to your regular daily schedule and enjoy light activities. However, you should hold off on intense exercise for several days.
To learn if you’re a good candidate for autologous stem cell injections, call Optimal Pain & Regenerative Medicine® or schedule an appointment online.