Understanding Regenerative Medicine

Regenerative medicine is one of the most exciting developments in pain management, anti-aging, and healing in the last several decades. And yet, at its heart, regenerative medicine is a very simple concept that draws upon technology that humans have had since we first evolved: our own biology.

At Advanced Pain Management in Castro Valley, San Ramon, and Fremont, California, board-certified anesthesiologist and pain management specialist Ravi Panjabi, MD, and our team provide regenerative medicine in the form of platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Here’s how PRP helps your body regenerate injured tissue, and cancel pain at its source.

PRP GIVES YOU A BOOST

If you’re lifting a heavy object, you might choose to use two arms rather than one, which bolsters your strength and helps you achieve your goal with greater ease. The concept behind PRP is basically the same: Increase what you already have in order to achieve a goal.

In the case of PRP, you’re not doubling up on muscle strength but multiplying by many times the strength and concentration of your platelets. Platelets are tiny cell fragments in your blood that are produced by your bone marrow. Platelets:

• Form clots to prevent over-bleeding
• Reduce inflammation
• Help build new blood cells
• Repair tissues
• Increase immune response
• Attract stem cells

Platelets are able to accomplish so much because they secrete growth factors and proteins that your body uses as the basic building blocks to repair itself. With PRP, Dr. Panjabi prepares a serum that contains 5-10 times the normal amount of platelets and injects it directly into the treatment area.

Now your body has 5-10 times the amount of materials it needs to begin the repair process. The PRP speeds up your healing and makes it more efficient, too. Instead of numbing the pain, you actually eliminate the source of it through this tissue-rebuilding process.

PRP IS SIMPLE

Considering the complexity of the healing that PRP initiates and promotes, the process of creating the PRP serum in the first place is almost astonishingly simple. The PRP serum begins with a blood draw that’s as easy and pain-free as giving blood for a test.

Dr. Panjabi removes just a tube or two of blood, usually through your arm. He and his team then spin the blood in a centrifuge, which separates the solid parts of the blood — including the platelets — from the liquid portion, called plasma.

Another spin in the centrifuge further separates the healing platelets from other blood solids. Dr. Panjabi makes the platelets easy to inject by mixing them back into a small amount of your plasma. Now your self-made serum is ready to go to work.

DON’T NUMB PAIN; HEAL IT

The best part of PRP is that you’re using your own powers to increase your health and rebuild damaged tissue. Dr. Panjabi finds that PRP is especially helpful in areas of injury that have poor blood supply, such as the cartilage that covers your joints. Without the help of PRP, cartilage wouldn’t normally be able to regenerate itself.

We use PRP to heal a variety of injuries and chronic pain conditions. Dr. Panjabi may inject the PRP directly into the injured area or apply it as co-therapy while performing other procedures, including surgeries.You can turn to PRP to heal:

• Arthritis
• Painful joints
• Strains and sprains
• Bursitis
• Tendinitis
• Fractures

A PRP treatment can be so effective that even if you believed you could only get relief through surgery, you may not have to undergo any further treatment. Because PRP works with your body’s natural healing processes, you may need a series of treatments to get full relief.

To find out more about how PRP and regenerative medicine can help you feel better and heal pain at its source, contact our office nearest you today. We can be reached by phone or our online booking tool.