Regenerative Medicine Specialist

What is regenerative medicine?

Regenerative medicine is a treatment that uses biological substances from within the human body to stimulate recovery when injured. 

With treatments like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell therapy, you can enjoy a faster recovery, less pain, and more efficient healing, all without surgery. 

When might I need regenerative medicine treatments?

The Brandywine Foot and Ankle Associates team may recommend regenerative medicine treatments for:

• Ligament tears
• Tendon tears
• Achilles tendinitis
• Slow-healing wounds or ulcers
• Plantar fasciitis

In addition to helping you recover from injury, regenerative medicine treatments may also help with chronic foot and ankle pain due to arthritis. 

Usually, regenerative medicine is an option after you’ve tried conservative care such as rest, physical therapy, oral medication, and activity modifications. Regenerative medicine stops your pain by starting the healing, so it can often help when nothing else does.

What is PRP in regenerative medicine?

PRP treatment uses your own blood to create a regenerative substance. The Brandywine Foot and Ankle Associates team uses a state-of-the-art machine to separate the platelets in your blood. Platelets are full of growth factors that promote healing. 

Immediately after an injury, your body deploys extra platelets to the injury site. If you’re bleeding, the platelets create a clot to stop it. They also encourage recovery in a variety of other ways. But, after that first response, your platelets disperse, which is why healing occurs slowly. 

PRP contains up to 10 times the number of platelets normally in your blood. By injecting PRP into damaged tissue, you can amplify your body's injury-fighting response. 

PRP injections can reduce inflammation around your injury, improve circulation, recruit stem cells to rebuild tissue, and boost your healing. Ultimately, that reduces your pain.

What is stem cell therapy in regenerative medicine?

Stem cell therapy involves injections of stem cells — your body’s building-block master cells. Those cells help to rebuild tissue after an injury. With their ability to become any type of human cell, stem cells are vital for tissue regrowth. 

Although you have some stem cells in your body, only a limited amount of them actually gravitate to the site of an injury. Stem cell therapy places many new stem cells around an injury so you can experience faster and more effective recovery. 

Stem cells can come from several sources, including your own body fat and donated biological materials. 

If you’re interested in regenerative medicine, call Brandywine Foot and Ankle Associates or use the online booking link.