Although stem cells sounds innovative and cutting edge, this therapy has been around for quite some time. In today's advanced medical climate stem cells are being used to treat many orthopedic conditions including osteoarthritis of the hip knee and shoulder, partial tears of tendons, muscles, and ligaments including rotator cuff tears, and various back conditions including disc herniations. This is accomplished by redirecting stem cells that your body is already producing to cure these problems.
In the past, stem cells were very difficult and expensive to procure. With newer techniques and equipment, stem cells can easily be obtained and concentrated by a simple office procedure. Stem cells are collected by aspirating bone marrow from the back of a patient's pelvis. In the bone marrow aspirate is a bloody substance that is removed from the pelvis through a small needle with minimal discomfort since the area is well numbed with a local anesthetic. Most procedures require about 2oz. (60cc) of bone marrow aspirate. This aspirate contains mesenchymal stem cells, platelets, and other cell material.
After extraction the patients' bone marrow is run through a centrifuge causing the stem cells and platelets to be separated from the rest of the blood products. It is this concentration of bone marrow that is injected back into the injured area. The concentration is called BMAC or bone marrow aspiration concentrate and when introduced back into the body, the platelets release growth factors and signaling proteins that basically tell the stem cells what to become.
In most instances Stem Cells can also be harvested from a patient's fatty tissue. Plastic surgeons have used this technique for several years and found that Fat stem cells often take on the characteristics of the surrounding tissue and aid in the healing process. We know that fatty tissue is a very rich source of stem cells and while the harvesting process differs slightly from stems cells that are gathered from bone marrow, the reintroduction and use of these types of cells is identical regardless of where or how the cells are taken. A combination of fat and bone marrow stem cells can form a potent army often able to fix problems once thought to be unfixable.