Orthobiologics are a relatively new but very effective option in the treatment of musculoskeletal and sports medicine-related issues. More and more, patients and physicians alike prefer these options to other treatments for their minimally invasive nature and quick recovery process. These treatments can allow people to quickly return to their preinjury levels of mobility. This is important not just for athletes, but for anyone interested in returning to an active lifestyle or getting back to work as well. Keep reading to learn more about orthobiologics and how we’re using them to treat our patients at the Center for Sports Medicine and Wellness.
What are Orthobiologics?
The term “Orthobiologics” combines “orthopedics” and “biologics” to describe the use of biological substances in the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries. The popularity of Orthobiologics has increased in recent years because they allow patients to heal more quickly than traditional treatment options. In addition to quicker recovery times, patients and doctors alike prefer these treatments because they are made from substances naturally found in the body.
In sports medicine, orthobiologics are used to heal conditions like fractured bones and injured muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Orthobiologics can assist and improve the healing process in areas that lack blood supply and the ability to regenerate when injured or damaged.
Musculoskeletal Issues
There are two types of musculoskeletal injuries: acute and chronic. Chronic conditions cause more issues than acute conditions and are believed to be the result of overuse. Overuse injuries occur when repetitive movement leads to degeneration of the internal structure of a tendon or ligament. Overuse may then lead to conditions like tendinosis, tendinitis, or tendinopathy.
Treating Musculoskeletal Conditions With Orthobiologics
Now that we’ve discussed what orthobiologics are and why they’ve become so popular in sports medicine and among athletes, we’ll discuss your options for orthobiologic treatment at the Center for Sports Medicine and Wellness, and why we prefer these treatment options for our patients.
Autologous Stem Cell Injections (ASCI)
Using a patient’s bone marrow or fat, Autologous Stem Cell Injections are a great option for the treatment of tendon, ligament, and cartilage issues. ASCI has even been successful in treating damaged spinal discs that cause back pain, as well as advanced arthritis.
Bone marrow and fat are rich sources of stem cells that are collected from the patient, filtered, centrifuged, and then injected into injured areas. Studies show excellent clinical outcomes and objective healing of multiple musculoskeletal tissues. ASCI is a great option for those who would like to avoid surgical procedures and long recovery times.
Alpha 2 Macroglobulin Injection
Alpha 2 Macroglobulin Injection Therapy is a treatment that utilizes a patient’s concentrated blood platelets. The desired result of this treatment is the functional repair of the injured area, whether that is a tendon, muscle, or joint cartilage so that it can take on mechanical stress during activity without pain. It has effectively been used to treat conditions like elbow tendinitis, patellar tendinitis, rotator cuff tears, Achilles tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, and more. Like ASCI, this is a non-surgical and minimally invasive procedure that allows patients to recover quickly.
Bone Marrow Concentrate (BMC)
Bone Marrow Concentrate is a non-surgical and minimally invasive treatment that is especially beneficial in the use of orthopedic medicine because of the bone marrow’s high concentration of stem cells. When applied to injured areas, these stem cells can create new tissues like bone, cartilage, fat, and blood vessels. This makes BMC an ideal treatment for injuries in areas that have trouble healing and regenerating on their own, such as cartilage, tendons, osteoarthritis, tendinitis, ligaments, and more.
SpineRenu
Developed by Dr. Shiple more than 8 years ago, SpineRenu is a non-surgical and minimally invasive option used to treat back pain. SpineRenu treats spine issues caused by damaged or degenerated spinal discs such as degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, sciatica, and chronic and lower back pain. This procedure heals damaged discs using a patient’s stem cells and works similarly to how the body naturally heals injuries. This is a non-surgical, minimally invasive spine procedure that has successfully been used to help Workers’ Compensation patients recover from their back pain and get back to work.
The Discseel® Procedure
The Discseel Procedure is a minimally invasive, non-surgical procedure that utilizes fibrin, a natural biologic formed from fibrinogen during the blood clotting process. Fibrinogen is a protein present in blood plasma from which, using the enzyme thrombin, the body creates fibrin. Fibrin then forms a fibrous mesh that impedes blood flow and encourages new tissue to grow, healing cuts and tears.
The Discseel Procedure uses the body’s natural healing processes and applies them to your spinal discs, which cannot heal themselves without assistance. It is used to treat annular tears, degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, sciatica, and chronic lower back pain.
Orthobiologic Sports Medicine Treatment in Glen Mills, PA
At the Center for Sports Medicine and Wellness, we’re dedicated to providing the most up-to-date and minimally invasive treatments for our patients. That’s why we focus on providing these non-surgical orthobiologic treatments. We know that for our patients, avoiding a long recovery process is a top priority. Whether you’re an athlete trying to get back to your sport, trying to get back to work, or you just want your active lifestyle back, we have options that can help you.
This is why we’re happy to provide the most advanced and least invasive treatment options. If you’d like to learn more about our services or contact us to schedule a consultation, please call our office in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, at (610) 459-4200 or fill out our form. We welcome your inquiry and we look forward to helping you get back to the game of life!