Stem Cell Injection
What is a Stem Cell Injection?
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have the unique potential of regeneration and differentiation into different types of cells. They act like a repair system replacing cells and tissue lost due to injury or disease. With increasing age however, there is a reduction in the number of available stem cells. Stem Cell Therapy is aimed at increasing the availability of stem cells at areas of tissue damage to enhance healing and regeneration.
Stem cells are obtained from your own body – usually bone marrow. Since the cells come from you, there is no risk of an adverse reaction when they are injected somewhere else. Once the stem cells are in the injured area, they will get to work healing damaged tissue, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and bones.
Why might I need a Stem Cell Injection?
Stem cell therapy targets the underlying source of pain without relying on medication and surgery, leading to increased function and mobility with a shorter recovery time than surgical options.
Following are some of the conditions treated by a Stem Cell Injection:
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Joint Pains
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Degenerative Disc Disease
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Disc Herniations
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Sacroiliac Joint Pain
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Arthritis in the Knee, Hip, Ankle, Shoulder, Elbow Hand
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Non-healing bone fractures
What happens during the procedure?
Patients will be positioned, to harvest the bone marrow. Once the patient is comfortably settled, medications and imaging guidance are set up.
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Numb the skin and tissue at the site where we will be harvesting stem cells from.
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An incision is made to introduce the needle, using imaging guidance to precisely position the needle at the bone. Once the needle is seated in the bone marrow, we begin harvesting stem cells.
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Harvested bone marrow is processed.
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Once the marrow is processed, we inject the stem cells into the joint we are treating, under imaging guidance.
What happens after the procedure?
Once the procedure is done, you can return home. Usually, you'll be able to return to normal activities on the next day or in the next couple of days based on doctor’s advice.