Stem cell therapy is one of the most exciting innovations in medicine to come along in a while, and at Phoenix Regenerative Medicine in Tempe, AZ, we want to answer all your questions about stem cell injections so you know just what to expect and when you’ll enjoy your results.

Stem Cell Basics

Stem cells are found naturally in everyone, and they have some amazing and unique properties. All the other cells of our bodies are of just one type, but stem cells have the potential to become whatever type of cell is needed. Most famously, this happens in the human fetus during development, as stem cells become all the cells the baby needs, forming muscle and ligament tissues, brain cells, liver and heart cells, bone cells, and many other types.

We used to think that these cells could only be found in the human fetus, and later, even when stem cells were found in human adults, it was still thought that adult stem cells had lost the amazing versatility of fetal stem cells. Yet it turns out that the stem cells in adult fat and bone marrow, in particular, are still capable of amazing regeneration and healing by becoming whatever type of tissue is needed.

Stem Cell Injections

Stem cell injections simply take the stem cells from your own body and apply them precisely where you need them to speed up recovery after an injury, reduce pain and inflammation, support tissue repair, and minimize scarring.

FAQs: When Will You Experience Results and Other Important Questions

When Will You Experience Results From This Treatment?

Results depend on a few factors. The first is how serious the injury is. Obviously, the more extensive an injury, the longer it will take to heal no matter what therapies are available. Another key factor is age. Our body’s natural healing process slows down as we age, and the older we are, the longer we take to heal.

All that said, it will take some months to see full healing, and a few people will need a second treatment to get the effect they’re looking for. In some cases, you will still need physical therapy to help rebuild strength and flexibility in an injured area. Most people will see their best changes about six months to a year after treatment.

It’s important to give your body time to regenerate itself. We’re committed to helping you get the results you need, so we’ll be with you every step of the way. And you can be certain that stem cells help things go faster than they otherwise would!

If Stem Cells Are So Powerful, Why Aren’t They Helping Already?

When we’re still developing, our stem cells easily move around, helping out everywhere. As we age, this process gradually slows, which in the past led to the assumption that we must just run out of these cells or that adult stem cells are unable to differentiate into other types like fetal stem cells.

Yet we actually still have plenty of stem cells, and they work fine. In fact, researchers have been stunned at how many stem cells are just waiting to be mined: and that’s the problem. Like any natural resource we might mine out of the ground, nothing useful can be done with this substance until it’s extracted and put to work where it’s needed.

How Do Stem Cells Do Their Work? 


Stem cells secrete proteins that signal to the other cells to get busy repairing or re-structuring the area of the body where they are injected. Stem cells are smart enough to know how to become the damaged tissues they are near, so injected them into a damaged knee, for instance, will cause them to repair and re-structure cartilage.

We’re not completely sure how the stem cells are getting the signals they need, but many researchers believe that inflamed tissues are sending out a kind of SOS signal that the stem cells pick up on and then amplify, both healing themselves and acting as agents to mobilize the body’s other healing properties.

What Kind of Problems Can You Address With Stem Cell Injections?


At Phoenix Regenerative Medicine, we treat a variety of issues with stem cell therapy, including:

• ACL injuries
• Ankle sprains
• Chronic Plantar Fasciitis
• Back and neck injuries
• Ligament sprains
• Muscle tears
• Osteoarthritis of the knee, shoulder, elbow, hip, and spine
• Repetitive motion injuries
• Rotator cuff tears
• Soft tissue injuries
• Tendonitis
• Tennis elbow

If your condition isn’t listed here, that doesn’t mean we can’t help! Contact us today and set up a consultation so we can help you figure out the best treatments to eliminate your pain and get you back to optimal wellness.

Is Stem Cell Therapy Approved by the FDA?


This therapy does not have FDA approval, but in this case, that isn’t a problem. In the first place, the stem cells we use come from your own body. This means they aren’t a chemically produced medication or an invasive treatment that needs to be tested for safety: you can’t be allergic to your own cells.

For another thing, this treatment falls under the category of “Physician’s Practice of Medicine.” Any treatment that falls into this category doesn’t have FDA guidelines because patients and their doctors are free to consider together how they will treat a condition based on the patient’s preferences and the doctor’s professional expertise.

Is Extracting Stem Cells a Painful Procedure? 


You may have been subjected to stories about how painful past bone marrow extraction procedures could be. You’ll be glad to know that the process of extracting stem cells for stem cell therapy in regenerative medicine is nothing like this!

Modern processes are virtually painless, and we often don’t need to take stem cells from the bone marrow at all. The body’s adipose tissue, or fat, typically contains more than enough stem cells for your therapy: hundreds or even thousands of times as much as that found in the bone marrow.

What Benefits Are There to Stem Cell Therapy?

This type of treatment can help speed up the time it takes for injuries to heal while simultaneously reducing pain and your need for pain medications. This therapy also increases functionality and flexibility, allowing for a better range of motion and even improved sleep quality.

Other benefits we regularly see from stem cell injections are a decrease in nerve damage, reduced risk of future injury dues to muscle compensations that aren’t part of healthy motion, and even increased collagen production, which can help to reduce existing scars and prevent new ones from forming.

Is This a Safe Treatment?


Stem cell therapy is being used more and more each year in all areas of medicine precisely because researchers and physicians have seen firsthand that it’s effective and safe. This therapy is used every day in orthopedic practices for the treatment of injuries that involve cartilage, tendon, and ligaments, which are all notoriously difficult and slow to heal.

It is also being used in bone repair and soft tissue injuries, to stop hair loss, and in cardiovascular disease to stimulate repair and growth of new blood vessels and decrease scar tissue. It’s being used in wound healing and to ensure that incisions after surgery heal properly, and it’s even being tested to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s as well as certain autoimmune disorders. In short, doctors and researchers around the globe work with stem cell therapy every day, and that familiarity isn’t raising concerns so much as it’s raising excitement!

Am I a Good Candidate for This Therapy?

There are multiple factors to take into consideration with this treatment, so the best way to find out if you’re a candidate is to come in for a consultation. We’ll consider your medical condition, previous treatment methods you’ve tried, your age and activity level, and your overall health. Currently, there is no age cut-off for this treatment, though it may be less effective in those over 70 or 75.

What Alternatives Are There?

There are many other treatments for chronic pain and injury that don’t involve surgery. These can include activity modification and physical therapy, bracing, regenerative medicine injections, viscosupplementation, and more. We’ll help you devise an individualized treatment plan that addresses your specific needs and gets you back on the path to strength and wellness as quickly as possible.

What Do I Need to Do to Prepare?

You should stop taking any non-steroidal anti-inflammatories for about two weeks beforehand. You can have a steroid injection into an affected joint before stem cell therapy, but it needs to be about a month before the stem cell treatment. There’s no need to modify your activities before you come for treatment.

How Long Does It All Take? 


Everything happens within our office in an out-patient setting. It takes about 30 minutes to extract the stem cells and prepare them and another 15 minutes or so to apply the treatment. There’s no discomfort, but we still advise you to have a friend or loved one drive you home and plan to take it easy for 24 hours and give your body time to rest. After 24 hours you can return to all your normal activities other than strenuous exercise, which you should avoid for two weeks.

When it comes to exercise and sports, we’ll help you determine the best time to return to your regular activities as we see how you’re progressing. You should be active, but in most cases, it’s best to do activities that protect the joints that need to be healed so your body isn’t under any additional strain.

How Long Will the Results Last?

This depends on what is being treated. In the case of an injury, we would expect to see complete recovery and permanent healing, unless you repeat the injury, of course. In the case of chronic issues like arthritis or repetitive motion injuries, it’s likely that eventually, the body will deteriorate again. However, studies show that the benefits of stem cell treatment tend to persist for as long as ten years.

The Importance of Expertise

Stem cell treatment is a relatively new area of treatment, and it’s important to trust your treatment to someone with the experience and training to ensure you get the right results.

At Phoenix Regenerative Medicine, we’re led by Dr. Angelo J. Mattalino, a renowned orthopedic surgeon. With 30 years of clinical and surgical experience and a constant commitment to keeping up with innovations in his field, Dr. Mattalino has the skill and experience to treat any kind of musculoskeletal problem.

Come Talk to Us

If you’re experiencing chronic pain and diminished quality of life due to an injury or disease, you don’t have to live with it any longer. Visit Phoenix Regenerative Medicine in Tempe, AZ today and set up a consultation. We can help you get back on your feet and back to living a productive and comfortable life.

If an injury is interfering with your quality of life or pain is causing you frustration and compromising your mobility, stem cell therapy from Phoenix Regenerative Medicine in Tempe, AZ could get you back the quality of life you’ve been missing. This therapy can treat a wide variety of conditions without long downtimes and invasive procedures, and it could just be the right therapy for you.

Are You a Candidate for Stem Cell Therapy? 8 Common Ailments

What can stem cell therapy effectively treat? This is the perfect therapy to talk with us about if you have any of the following ailments:

Osteoarthritis

This is the most common form of arthritis and can cause pain and stiffness that limits mobility in the elbow, shoulder, spine, hip, knee and elsewhere. Previously, care for this condition included lifestyle changes and medications. In extreme cases, patients could also be considered for joint fusion or joint replacement surgeries. Stem cells allow patients to avoid more extreme treatments and see better results from their other treatments.

Sprains and Soft Tissue Injuries

Whether it’s an ankle sprain that just doesn’t want to heal or ligament sprains elsewhere, these painful stretches to a ligament, muscle, or tendon can go so far as to tear the tissue in question. They usually happen when you fall or twist in an awkward way, and they can take a frustratingly long time to heal. That healing time can be sped up with stem cells.

Repetitive Motion Injuries

Anyone who works at computers, on an assembly line, or who spends a lot of time at a particular sport can experience a repetitive motion injury. These are among the most common injuries in America, and they can come from typing, scrubbing, throwing, or any other everyday activity. These types of injuries also typically come with long healing times, but again, stem cell therapy can speed up that healing.

Tendonitis

This inflammation of a tendon can occur anywhere but is most common in the elbow, shoulder, and biceps. These injuries often come from overuse or from doing too much too soon, either with exercise or play. Tendonitis can also develop from certain conditions like thyroid disorders and arthritis. Whatever the cause, it can take weeks or even months for it to go away, making stem cells a welcome way to speed up the healing process.

Muscle Tears

When overwork or injury causes a muscle to tear, severe pain is usually the immediate result. The resulting muscle weakness and severe tenderness can make it impossible to go about with your day, and depending on the grade of the tear, you could be out of commission for three weeks to six months. With stem cells, you have the potential to greatly reduce that timeframe.

Back and Neck Pain

Back and neck pain are some of the most frustrating conditions a person can suffer. Millions of Americans suffer regular pain in the back or neck, and many times the cause is hard to pin down. If you’re having trouble getting relief from debilitating back and neck pain, visit us at Phoenix Regenerative Medicine and let us help you find the right treatment, including the possibility of stem cell intervention.

Rotator Cuff Injuries

This painful shoulder injury is often ignored until it severely interferes with daily life. You are likely to first notice a dull ache in your shoulder, and this will get worse if you sleep on that side. While this condition can be the result of a single injury, in many cases it develops gradually over time. If you’re noticing a dull ache in your shoulder, are finding it hard to reach behind your back, are experiencing disturbed sleep when you lie on that shoulder, and especially if you notice any arm weakness, come see us and we’ll discuss how stem cell treatment could help you.

ACL Injuries

The ACL is one of the major knee ligaments, and when it’s injured, it can severely disturb your life and mobility. This is a common sports injury, but it can happen to anyone. The knee is one of the most complex structures of the body, making this a difficult area to treat. Fortunately, stem cell therapy is also effective in treating the ACL. If you have injured your knee, and especially if you noticed a popping sensation when it happened accompanied by swelling and loss of your range of motion, come see us.

Is This the Right Treatment for Me?

Stem cells are a wonderful treatment for reducing pain and inflammation and speeding up the healing process. If you’re having trouble healing from any of the conditions listed above or any similar sprain, tear, or strain, there is a good chance that stem cell treatment can help you. Come see us for a consultation. Our team of orthopedic experts can evaluate your condition and help you decide if this non-surgical, minimally invasive treatment is the right thing for you.

What Is Stem Cell Therapy?

About Stem Cells

Stem cells are unique in the human body. They have the power to become any type of tissue depending on what the body needs at the moment. As such, they are constantly and actively involved in rebuilding and repairing our bodies any time we experience damage. They are able to replicate many types of cells and differentiate into whatever tissue is needed for healing.

Stem cells contain receptors that signal to them when they should migrate to an injured site and begin generating healthy new tissue to improve functionality. These receptors secrete a special chemical which attracts even more stem cells and jump-starts the body’s own healing process. That’s what makes this therapy so useful: instead of injecting you with a medication or drug, we’re harnessing the power of your own body to heal itself, but more quickly than normal. Adult stem cells can be found in our fat, organs, bone marrow, and other tissues.

Types of Stem Cells

Many people are familiar with embryonic stem cells. In the early years of stem cell research, it was thought that only embryonic cells were capable of differentiating. Since then, we have learned that adult stem cells are also able to differentiate into bone, cartilage, and most other mesodermal areas of the body. Most people have plenty of these stem cells in their own fat, meaning there is no need to use embryonic stem cells or spend days culturing cells in the lab.

The Treatment Process

Treatment with stem cells simply involves injecting the cells into the site of your injury, where they go to work repairing the tissues and signaling to other stem cells to come do the same. This therapy goes hand-in-hand with physical therapy and lifestyle changes and speeds up the healing process. Some of what this therapy can do includes:

• Supporting the repair of soft tissues
• Reducing pain and inflammation
• Promoting the reconstruction of tissues
• Minimizing the formation of any scar tissue

FAQ About the Therapy

How Fast Will My Healing Be?

In general, this therapy speeds up healing, but that doesn’t change the fact that everyone heals at their own rate. If your body is prone to slow healing, this therapy can make your healing go more quickly, but it cannot turn you into a “fast healer.” Results vary by the individual, and the best thing to do is come talk to us about this and all your options.

Is This Treatment Safe?

There have been many clinical trials and many thousands of stem cell treatments around the world, and this treatment has been proven both safe and effective. Stem cells aren’t rejected by the body and you will not experience any kind of allergic reaction.

What If I Have More Than One Issue?

It’s possible to treat multiple areas simultaneously, so talk to us if you have several areas you need to have treated.

Am I Too Old or Young for This Treatment?

There is no age where stem cell treatment doesn’t have the potential to help! Whatever your age, stem cells can help. Just remember that they speed up your unique body’s own healing process rather than change it completely. As we age, healing always slows compared to how we would have healed when younger.

Is There Downtime After This Treatment?

There is no downtime after a stem cell treatment, but we will recommend that you stick with light activity for the first few weeks. Depending on what condition you’re being treated for, physical therapy is often an important accompaniment to get the best results.

Who Will Oversee My Treatment?

Our practice is overseen by Dr. Angelo J. Mattalino, the founder and medical director of Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Mattalino earned his medical degree from the University of Texas, Galveston and finished his orthopedic surgery residency at Tulane Medical School.

Since then, Dr. Mattalino has completed two fellowships, one in Sports Medicine Knee and Arthroscopic Surgery and the other in Sports Medicine and Arthroscopic Surgery and Shoulder. With more than 30 years of clinical and surgical experience, and as a leader in the medical world, Dr. Mattalino is the perfect person to oversee your treatment.

Where Will the Stem Cells Come From?

At Phoenix Regenerative Medicine, we use adult stem cells and allograft amniotic tissue. Your body has the stem cells it needs to regenerate tissue. Because your own body has these stem cells, you don’t have to worry about having an allergic reaction to treatment or about your body rejecting the treatment.

Is This Treatment Really Better Than Surgery?

It is always best to avoid surgery whenever possible. Sometimes surgery is the only way to restore quality of life, but stem cell treatment offers a new, exciting option that makes it much less likely you’ll need surgery. Compared to surgery, stem cell treatment has some amazing benefits:

It Prevents Unwanted Complications

Stem cell treatment has a very good track record in orthopedics and is one of the few medical treatments that can boast almost no side effects. It’s healing abilities reduce the risk of any complications or infections by allowing many patients to avoid surgery altogether. When surgery is unavoidable, combing it with stem cell therapy speeds recovery, minimizes the need for additional treatment, and helps prevent scarring.

It Treats Extensive Conditions

Some tissues of the body, especially spinal disks, cannot repair themselves under ordinary circumstances. Spinal disk damage is painful and was previously hard to treat without surgery. Stem cell treatment is an effective therapy and an excellent nonoperative option.

It Promotes Natural Healing

Natural healing is nearly always the best, and new technologies in stem cell treatments are taking advantage of the body’s natural powers. Concentrated, injected stem cells stimulate new tissue growth in the injured area, promoting the healing process by getting healing cells to the area immediately instead of waiting for them to travel to the site of the injury on their own.

Get Back Your Quality of Life

If you’ve been living with pain and limitations due to an orthopedic injury or condition, contact Phoenix Regenerative Medicine in Tempe, AZ today and let’s get started on helping you recover your quality of life.

Injuries and aging often cause pain that seriously affects a person’s health and vitality. While pain medications may be needed to provide immediate relief, they come with side effects that range from unpleasant to dangerous. Pain medication drugs also do not help cure the underlying problem. Phoenix Regenerative Medicine, located in Tempe, AZ provides pain management treatments that correct underlying problems without the need to resort to difficult surgeries that cause serious downtime.

Why Is Pain Management so Important?

Unmanaged pain can make life unbearable. Often, pain occurs with great frequency and causes suffering even while resting, at times interrupting sleep. Other types of pain affect mobility, making it difficult or impossible to perform even simple, essential life tasks, such as walking, reaching or bending. As a result, pain sufferers may be unable to participate in important activities and become partially or fully disabled.

In addition to discomfort and a loss of enjoyment in life, sufferers of chronic pain may be forced to retire or quit their jobs and go on disability, which often pays a fraction of their former income. To make matters worse, pain often results in inactivity, a primary cause of health conditions ranging from diabetes to heart disease to obesity. Suffering chronic pain and disability, especially when they contribute to a downward health spiral, causes emotional distress that leads to anxiety, depression and other mental difficulties in many people.

Pain Management Preserves Health and Life Quality

Pain management is so important because it reduces or eliminates the kind of suffering that destroys a person’s quality of life. It also helps patients remain healthy enough to continue working in their chosen professions, providing financial benefits and increased life satisfaction. In severe cases, pain management is needed to preserve a patients’ ability to work at any job.

Successful pain management also keeps people able to participate in the activities they enjoy. For example, it allows athletes to continue running, swimming, biking and playing team sports or golf. Nature lovers can continue hiking and backpacking, and anyone can be more active from simply being able to walk pain-free and enjoy a beautiful day. Preserving these abilities helps keep patients socially connected, happy and healthy.

The Two Types of Pain

Healthcare professionals divide pain into two broad categories: acute and chronic.

Acute

Acute pain lasts a short time and stops when the body fully heals, though it often turns chronic if not treated properly. For example, a person may suffer acute pain after breaking his or her leg. Provided the broken leg is treated properly, this pain will disappear permanently once the leg heals.

Chronic

Chronic pain is long-lasting and worsens over time. Unlike acute pain, it does not disappear once the body heals, often because healing was never fully completed. Because of imbalances the pain causes in the body, a person may develop chronic pain in additional areas because of the original problem.

For example, an active person may develop tendonitis in his or her foot. Because it’s difficult to rest your foot completely, the condition may not heal properly and can become chronic. Because of the pain, the person may develop a limp that places stress on other areas of the body and causes new injuries, often to the knees. Managing the pain allows the person to walk normally, preventing other injuries and allowing the foot to heal fully.

What Types of Medical Pain Relief Does Phoenix Regenerative Medicine Offer?

The human body is impacted by daily stresses that lead to overuse injuries and traumatic injuries that cause lasting damage. While anyone can experience pain and injury, athletes and active people are more likely to experience overuse or traumatic injuries as opposed to age related difficulties. Regardless of the cause, Phoenix Regenerative Medicine’s joint and spine specialists use the most advanced techniques to cure pain and restore normal bodily function without surgery.

Regenerative Medicine Injections

Phoenix Regenerative Medicine specializes in platelet rich plasma- (PRP) and stem cell injections. Both are effective and minimally invasive. They enhance the body’s natural healing processes to speed the recovery of injured areas.

PRP treatments use the body’s natural platelets and white blood cells to heal an injured area. After an injury, these two healing components rush to the area that suffered damage. PRP treatments increase the flow of these healing properties by extracting them from a blood sample taken from the patient. Platelets and white blood cells are separated from the blood in a centrifuge and re-injected at the injury site.Like platelets and white blood cells, stem cells are a key component of the body’s healing process. To speed healing, physicians extract these helpful stem cells from the bone marrow in the patient’s pelvic bone. The stem cells are separated from unwanted materials in a centrifuge and then injected into the injured region. Stem cells speed healing, improve mobility and reduce pain. They can be used to heal joints, tendons, ligaments, muscles and other areas.

What Conditions Can PRP Injections Help Heal?

PRP injections help heal a variety of conditions, both acute and chronic. These injections also apply to both overuse and traumatic injuries, including:

• Osteoarthritis
• Rotator cuff tears
• ACL issues
• Tennis elbow
• Repetitive motion injuries
• Ankle sprains
• Plantar fasciitis
• Tendonitis
• Sprains
• Soft tissue injuries
• Muscle tears
• Back and neck injuries

How Does a PRP Injection Work?

PRP injections are non-surgical and minimally invasive. The injection is given on an outpatient basis and takes one hour total, though the injection itself takes less than ten minutes. PRP injections save patients from the inconvenience of physical therapy and the potential side effects of medication.

What Conditions Do Stem Cell Injections Teat?

Stem cell injections minimize scar tissue, promote soft tissue reconstruction, reduce inflammation and aid in soft tissue repair. These processes treat injuries that are acute or chronic and caused by overuse or trauma. Because of these healing capabilities, they are particularly effective at treating the following conditions:

• ACL injuries
• Sprains
• Plantar fasciitis
• Back and neck injuries
• Muscle tears
• Osteoarthritis
• Repetitive motion injuries
• Rotator cuff injuries
• Soft tissue problems
• Tendonitis
• Tennis elbow

How Do Stem Cell Injections Work?

Like PRP injections, stem cell therapy is non-surgical and minimally invasive. The treatment is performed on an outpatient basis and results in little downtime.

Viscosupplementation

Many people experience frustrating and sometimes debilitating joint pain, especially as they grow older. Pain often results in loss of function and immobility, causing disability and reducing life quality. Viscosupplementation works to restore natural joint movement while relieving pain. As with other injections, the treatment is non-surgical and minimally invasive.

Viscosupplementation uses hyaluronic acid to lubricate the joint. Because hyaluronic acid is a natural part of the body’s healing system, it is a safe and effective treatment option. Hyaluronic acid hydrates the joints, contributing to elasticity and flexibility. This results in smooth joint movement and pain reduction or elimination.

By opting for Viscosupplementation, patients achieve increased mobility and range of motion, feel more comfortable performing daily activities and report reduced or eliminated levels of pain and discomfort.

How Is Viscosupplementation Treatment Performed?

Like other injections, Viscosupplementation is performed on an outpatient basis and causes little or no downtime. In most cases, one treatment results in enhanced joint mobility and significant pain reduction.

What Else Can I Do to Manage Pain?

In some cases, surgery is necessary. Determining whether a surgical option should be undertaken requires a consultation and diagnosis. Your physician may also prescribe pain-relieving medications. In addition to surgery, medications and injections, there are a number of ways to combat pain:

Ice Therapy

Ice is the first line of defense for many injuries, and for good reason. Cold reduces swelling, a significant contributor to pain. It can also prevent tissue damage, so it should be applied as soon as possible after pain begins. An ice pack or a plastic bag filled with ice cubes both work great. Apply for 15- to 20 minutes every hour to relieve pain.

Heat

While ice reduces inflammation and prevents tissue damage, heat increases range of motion and encourages the body’s natural healing processes. Ice is generally applied by itself immediately after an injury. Heat is used in combination with ice to treat ongoing injuries in the process of healing.

Elevation

Simply elevating an injured area above the level of the heart decreases pain and swelling. If possible, prop the injured area on pillows or blankets while applying heat or ice.

Compression

Compression also reduces pain and swelling. It can be applied with an elastic bandage available at most pharmacies. Abdominal binders are available for injuries to that part of the body. For foot injuries, compression socks can speed healing and reduce pain.

Bracing

Bracing can increase mobility and decrease pain. For example, knee sleeves provide extra support that makes walking more comfortable. For foot injuries, arch supports or orthotics help reduce pain and injury by forcing the body to stand, walk or run correctly.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy employs certain scents that help patients relax, which decreases pain. The therapy can be delivered through oils, extracts or fragrances from flowers.

Meditation

Tenseness only increases pain and interferes with healing. Medication teaches you how to focus inside yourself and gain a deep sense of relaxation, which reduces pain and helps the body heal.

Guided Imagery

Similar to meditation, guided imagery helps patients relax and focus away from the pain. It works by focusing the mind on pleasant images rather than pain and stress. Many patients are able to change how the body responds to pain.

Activity

Some activities make pain worse or more difficult to manage. Discussing your activities with your provider can help you find solutions. For example, if sitting for long periods working on a computer causes pain, a change in your sitting position and exercises may end the problem.

Rehab

Physical and occupational therapy improve movement and strength to combat pain. The process takes weeks or months to be fully effective, so sticking with the program is important. Once improvement has been achieved, continued exercises and follow-up appointments may be necessary to maintain the gains.

Why You Should Never Delay Pain Treatment

Unfortunately, many people make the mistake of ignoring pain or trying to tough it out, believing it will go away on its own. When dealing with severe and chronic injuries, this is rarely the case. Most often, the problem and pain get worse with time, eventually becoming limiting and unbearable.

By starting pain management treatment right away, you can get your body on the mend and avoid months or years of needless limitations and suffering. Injections provide the answer to many pain problems. They allow for healing and a pain-free life without medications or surgery. If you are suffering from debilitating pain and need a permanent solution, call Phoenix Regenerative Medicine in Tempe, AZ to schedule a consultation today.

The human body has powerful, built-in abilities to heal itself from injuries and wear. Today, medicine can harness and focus these healing powers to provide faster, more effective recoveries. PRP injections by Phoenix Regenerative Medicine in Tempe, AZ can help your body repair its own injuries, quickly and naturally, without invasive procedures.

What Is PRP Therapy?

PRP stands for Platelet Rich Plasma. Plasma is the liquid part of the blood that carries cells and proteins throughout the body. Platelets are tiny blood cells that act as “first-responders” when tissues become injured. Platelets start by clotting the bleeding, which prevents further damage to the area. They then attract other blood cells to prevent infection and repair the injury.

Platelets include natural growth factors and proteins that stimulate cell growth and regeneration. PRP therapy delivers a concentrated dose of your body’s own platelets and nutrients directly onto the injured or worn area that needs treatment. By targeting the affected area with the body’s natural repair agents, many injuries can be healed by themselves, without larger medical steps.

Who Can Benefit From PRP Injections?

PRP therapy was first popularized through professional sports medicine. Athletes who needed to recover from injuries as quickly as possible were the first successes. Thanks to PRP therapy, many sports surgeries can now be avoided, along with their lengthy recovery times. Even when surgery wasn’t called for, injured athletes treated with PRP heal faster than those without.

Active People

Many of us lead an active life of physical fitness and recreation. Running, hiking and climbing are popular activities, as are tennis, golf, basketball and other team sports. These activities bring us enjoyment and wellness, but they can also do damage over the long run to fragile body regions.

Runners and hikers, for example, endure unnatural stress on their knees and ankles. These forces not only create injury risk but also excessive wear that can cause pain for a lifetime. Golfing can be hazardous to the shoulder’s rotator cuff. Tennis elbow is an injury that speaks for itself. Even when direct injuries have been avoided, the lasting effects of sporting activities on the body can often be felt years later.

Older People

Pain from joint, muscle or cartilage wear is by no means limited to athletes. As we age, diseases such as arthritis, tendonitis and osteoporosis become commonplace. Old injuries from our younger days that once weren’t bothersome gradually become a problem. Over the years, scar tissue can form around these injuries. This can cause pain and other complications that eventually need to be addressed.

Anyone

Young or old, active or easygoing, injuries and pains do happen. PRP therapy can help people of any age and lifestyle live with less pain and quickly get back to living the lives they want to lead. PRP therapy does this in short, convenient sessions that avoid surgery and speed your recovery. Best of all, PRP therapy is like “green” medicine. It uses your own body’s tools to repair itself.

What Happens During PRP Treatment?

PRP injections are a minimally invasive treatment given in the comfort of our office. The treatment takes approximately one hour, though the injection itself typically takes less than ten minutes. The treatment begins by drawing a small amount of your blood, usually less than two ounces. The blood is placed into a centrifuge system for 30-45 minutes. This special purpose, FDA-approved machine separates the wanted platelets and other substances used for your PRP treatment.

The platelets are then injected directly into the injured or diseased body tissue. Ultrasound imaging may be used by one of our doctors to guide the precise injection point. The injected PRP immediately begins to stimulate your body’s own growth agents directly at the affected area. The PRP treatment bypasses any scar tissue or swelling surrounding the injured or worn tissue.

Is There Discomfort During PRP Therapy?

Your doctor will numb the treatment area with a local anesthetic. Patients should expect mild discomfort but no pain during the procedure. There’s very little risk or infection or complication from the procedure because you are receiving your own blood. Some mild pain, swelling, or discomfort may occur when the procedure is finished, but there is no set downtime for the procedure.

Discomfort from the injection is usually minimal and varies between patients and the area of treatment. Knee, shoulder or elbow joint injections typically produce minor swelling and very little pain. Injections of PRP into muscles or tendons typically cause a bit more discomfort. When the treatment is done, it is important to not irritate the injection site until symptoms subside.

Relief from pain typically becomes noticeable within three to four weeks after the injection. Most symptoms will continue to improve over a period of three to six months following a PRP injection. Pain and discomfort caused by osteoarthritis usually respond faster to PRP therapy than tendon-related pains such as tendonitis or tennis elbow.

How Many PRP Treatments Are Needed?

Results from PRP treatment and expected recovery times will vary. Both depend on the extent of the injury, the extent of restoration needed, and the individual patient. PRP has been used with notable success on tendons, ligaments and muscles.

PRP treatments on these areas often yield faster, better results than conventional physical therapy without PRP treatments. This is especially true of ligament damage, which takes the most time to heal and may require multiple injections. Our experts will formulate a plan with you to treat your specific condition effectively, whether for a single session or over several visits.

Many patients achieve successful outcomes with only one injection. In some cases, a series of several injections may be required to attain the desired results. Each treatment will be scheduled several weeks apart. While there is no limit to the number of treatments you can have, most patients that will respond to the injections see results by the third treatment.

Recently, PRP injections have been used as a way to regenerate hair growth at the scalp for both male and female hair loss. These treatments are particularly successful with people who have just begun to experience hair loss. In these cases, PRP therapy has been shown to slow hair shedding and promote new hair growth. PRP therapy for hair loss can be ongoing, with treatments every few months to maintain the desired results.

Even if a patient’s condition requires more than one PRP treatment, there’s usually much less time and effort required for PRP treatments and recovery than invasive surgery. In the vast majority of cases, the PRP patient is able to return to their routines without further interruption.

What Can You Expect During Recovery?

Once the PRP is injected and the session is completed, your doctor will recommend that you rest the affected area. This advice is more a matter of being careful with the treated injury than a response to the actual injections. Most people can continue their daily activities immediately following PRP therapy. Treatment can be completed over the course of a lunch hour.

Because PRP therapy is designed to promote natural healing for the injured area over time, patients may not feel an immediate difference after receiving their treatment. However, over the course of weeks or months, they often observe that the area being treated is healing faster than would have expected without the PRP therapy.

While PRP therapy helps speed the healing process, not all injuries can be treated solely by injection. Significant damages to a joint or muscular region may require physical therapy as part of the healing process. PRP treatments are not a substitute for physical therapy, but they can greatly increase the effectiveness of a physical therapy program. Our doctors will advise you on an appropriate course of rehabilitation to accompany your PRP treatment.

Who Uses PRP Therapy?

Because it can safely treat such a wide variety of conditions, PRP therapy has attracted a wide range of famous people who now evangelize for this life-changing procedure. The first celebrity to rave about its effects was basketball star Kobe Bryant. Chronic arthritic knee pain had nearly forced him into early retirement, but after PRP treatments, the future Hall of Famer was able to play at an elite level even at the ripe old age of 34.

Star golfer Tiger Woods is also a believer in PRP therapy. Woods suffered a serious injury to his ACL, one of the key ligaments of the knee. The expected recovery time was pegged at nine months: a long time for a player at his level to be missing from competition. Within a year of choosing PRP therapy, the golf legend had won Player of the Year, PGA Player of the year, and had earned a top 10 spot in 14 tournaments.

PRP cosmetic treatments have also become popular among people who need to quickly improve their looks without invasive, time-consuming plastic surgery. Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie has used cosmetic PRP treatments to smooth her complexion and boost natural collagen. Perhaps most famously, Kim Kardashian popularized the PRP-driven “vampire facial” on her TV show. The treatment uses PRP in combination with microneedling, a technique that smooths facial lines and wrinkles and promotes collagen production.

How to Prepare For a PRP Therapy Session

Your doctor will advise you to stop taking certain medications prior to your PRP therapy. You will likely be asked to discontinue anti-inflammatory medications such as Ibuprofen for one week prior to your PRP appointment. You should also avoid corticosteroid medications, such as prednisone and cortisone, for 2 to 3 weeks prior to the procedure. Discuss these and your other medications with our regenerative medicine experts.

Patients should drink plenty of fluids the day before the procedure. While the procedure itself is usually painless, with only mild discomfort, some patients may require anti-anxiety medication immediately before the procedure.

After the procedure is done, you’ll be asked to keep the site of the PRP treatment clean and dry. Leave any bandage on for 12 to 24 hours and then replace the bandage with a Band-Aid until the site heals. Do not use ice on the PRP site because ice reduces swelling. The therapy is meant to cause swelling, which helps you heal. You may experience some swelling and bruising for three to seven days after your treatment. Tylenol is recommended for these discomforts. Your doctor will advise you regarding post-treatment medications.

Let Us Help You Heal Yourself

PRP injections are a compelling alternative to surgeries and invasive treatment options. They can also spare you the hassle of extended physical therapy or excessive medication use. However, the best way to ensure that PRP is the right option to treat your injury is to schedule a consultation with our experts at Phoenix, Regenerative Medicine in Tempe, AZ. Your consultation with us will help establish the right plan for you and your goals.

If you’ve heard anything about regenerative medicine, you’ve probably heard comments about how incredibly effective it is. That’s because, unlike other clinical practices, this type of medicine works to utilize the body’s natural healing powers through stem cells. Research in this area has allowed doctors to cure diseases and injuries that previously could not be helped. At Pheonix Regenerative Medicine, in Tempe, AZ, we are dedicated to helping our patients rediscover the beauty in life through healing.

What Is Regenerative Medicine?

This type of medicine is so powerful because it works by replacing organs or tissues that have been damaged, often through the use of stem cells. Physicians who specialize in this use chemistry, biology, engineering, computer science, robotics, genetics, and other fields to amplify the body’s natural healing process. By looking beyond the body’s immediate abilities to heal, physicians can bring new life into our damaged bodies.

The four main facets of this field of medicine are Tissue Engineering, Medical Devices, Cellular Therapies, and Clinical Translation.

What Are Stem Cells?

Before diving into this exciting field of medicine, it’s important to learn a couple of things about stem cells. Stem cells are basically the building blocks of the human body. Stem cells are pluripotent, meaning that they can evolve into any of the 220 different types of cells in the human body. Normal cells, on the other hand, can only create more of their own type of cell.

There are two types of stem cells: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells come from embryos, whereas adult stem cells can be found in the heart, brain, bone marrow, lungs, and other organs. As this field of medicine is improved and refined, medical professionals are learning more and more about stem cells and how to use them.

Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials

The engineering of tissues and other biomaterials is an exciting field because it allows physicians to literally build new organs and tissues. This strategy utilizes scaffolding in the geometric shape of the necessary tissue and can be done in a laboratory or be directly implanted into a person, depending on the need.

The scaffolding, when implanted in a body, attracts new cells to the scaffolding site. As they interact with the stem cells, they create new tissues. In time, new tissue in the form of the geometric scaffolding will form.

External Engineering

However, tissues can be engineered outside of the body as well. One exciting use of external tissue engineering, although it is still being evaluated in clinical trials, is the creation of heart valves made of human cells. Heart disease is one of the most common causes of death for adults in America, so this advancement in medicine will save innumerable lives.

The damage heart disease causes is different for each individual. Sometimes it forces people to get a heart transplant. Other times it damages the valves and requires a valve replacement. Currently, when someone needs a valve replacement, the options are a mechanical valve or a pig aortic valve. But with both of these options complications are relatively common.

Mechanical devices often cause blood clots to form around the device, so patients who choose this replacement option must take blood thinners to counteract the clots. Blood thinners can, of course, lead to a whole host of other medical issues. And when individuals choose to have a pig aorta valve replacement, they must take medications to keep the body from rejecting the pig valve. The chemicals in these medications change the biological makeup of the cells so when common minor tears occur, the valve cannot regenerate and fix itself.

Tissue Engineering in the Future

A very exciting advancement in this field is the ability to use 3d printer to create new organs ready for use in a human body! While this science is still being developed, eventually scientists will be able to use biodegradable scaffolding created from a 3D printer and then seeped in stem cells that are triggered to develop into the type of tissue needed.

Eventually, this science will allow for everything from working hearts to livers to be printed out and then used to replace organs that aren’t working correctly. This would revolutionize the way organ transplants are done, making organs available to the patients who need them!

Medical Devices and Artificial Organs

One of the primary dangers of getting an organ transplant is rejection. Even though someone else’s liver must be a transplant match for you, there is still a great risk. But regenerative medicine is working to reduce those risks.

One way in which this field of medicine helps reduce risks is through artificial organs. Doctors all over the world are developing mechanical devices that can do the work of organs. One example is the Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) that can be a long-term replacement for a heart.

Perhaps the most amazing advancement in the arena of artificial organs is in bladders. Doctors are now able to use the patient’s own cells to create a bladder in a laboratory that is genetically identical to the patient. This differs from the previously discussed tissue engineering because instead of focusing on the creation of new tissue, it focuses on using the patient’s own genetic makeup to create a bioidentical organ. This effectively erases the dangers of organ transplant rejection.

Artificial Organs in the Future

As far as complexity goes, the bladder has one of the least complicated structures in the body. That’s why doctors have been able to effectively create bioidentical bladders but are still working to create useful versions of other organs that maintain their structural integrity. In the future, this research will expand to allow doctors to create more complex bioidentical organs for their patients.

Cellular Therapies

Cellular therapies work to help damaged parts of the bodies heal themselves rather than creating a scaffold or external medical device. Unlike the other concentrations in this kind of medicine, cellular therapies allow the body to heal itself on its own terms.

Injury Issues

Our bodies are made to heal themselves, but sometimes this process doesn’t work as it’s intended. A young, healthy person may sprain their ankle and be in quite a bit of pain. But if they take time to rest their ankle, take some pain reliever, and put on ice on it, the ankle will most likely heal itself. But what about that same injury in someone who isn’t as young or healthy?

Someone who is older or has some health condition can sprain their ankle and take the exact same measures to heal themselves. But they might find that even with all their efforts, their body simply doesn’t heal the same way that it used to. Introducing stem cells into the area that needs to heal can help the tissues heal themselves, given the right circumstances.

Serious Diseases

What about a young child with cancer? While there are effective treatments for cancer, these treatments also destroy the patient’s healthy cells. The child’s body has a great need for new, healthy cells. In this case, the most common answer is to find a compatible donor willing to donate bone marrow, which is rich in stem cells. This new flush of stem cells helps the body regenerate.

Bone marrow is rich in stem cells, but it’s not the only place you can find stem cells. A baby’s umbilical cord generally has about half a cup of blood that is extremely rich in stem cells. These days, many people store their baby’s umbilical cord and stem cells in case the baby, or any family member, has a need for stem cells. Stem cells can also be collected from fat, dental pulp, skeletal muscle, blood, and other sources.

The Future of Cellular Therapies

This mode of medicine is being refined so it can have broader and more effective uses for restorative healing. The implications for the future of cellular therapy are quite literally endless. As stem cells are better understood, physicians will be able to create more directed therapies that can benefit everyone.

Clinical Translation

Clinical translation refers to the part of regenerative medicine that works to turn theories into useable medical interventions. It is perhaps the most exciting part of this field because it involves the creation of new devices, new treatments, and new ways to keep patients healthy.

Theory

Once scientists come up with a theory about how to help individuals restore and heal themselves through the use of stem cells, they collaborate with other medical professionals to create an experiment, like using a 3d printer to create a new heart. Once the doctors are able to create a heart that is able to pump blood, they then move on to clinical trials.

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials involve testing new developments in humans. Usually the patients who are involved in clinical trials aren’t suitable for other, more traditional, forms of treatments, so they enter clinical trials in the hope that the trial will help.

After many clinical trials, scientists compile and publish the results in medical journals so that other medical professionals can be kept abreast of medical progress. After several clinical trials are completed, and if they yield positive results, the medical intervention slowly becomes standard practice.

Conclusion

The world of regenerative medicine is a truly astonishing field. The implications of the use of stem cells know no bounds. Because of the research in this area, doctors are helping patients heal in ways they never thought they could. As we learn to embrace our own healing, powered by stem cells, we can allow our bodies to reach new heights.

The Future

The beautiful thing about this kind of medicine is that, as time goes on, this field is expanding exponentially. A handful of years ago, medical professionals thought that only embryonic stem cells were pluripotent. But now, research shows that adult stem cells are just as powerful as embryonic stem cells, opening up the field for research in so many exciting ways.

As scientists continue to experiment, learn more about regeneration, perform clinical trials, and create more medical interventions, this field of medicine will continue to offer more and more ways to help humans restore their health and live longer lives.

Contact Pheonix Regenerative Medicine, in Tempe, AZ today to have your questions answered or to schedule a consultation for regenerative joint injections, platelet-rich plasma, stem cell therapy, viscosupplementation, and surgery alternatives. Together, we can take a step towards restoring your health.