Regenerative Medicine
Regenerative medicine treatments at Foot & Ankle Specialists of Ohio in Mentor, Chardon, Westlake, Bedford and Garfield Heights, Ohio, use the very latest medical advances to help your foot or ankle heal naturally. PRP injections and stem cell injections can help with things like arthritis, tendonitis, and many other pain-causing conditions. Book your appointment with a highly skilled podiatrist online or via phone now.
Regenerative Medicine Q & A
What is platelet-rich plasma (PRP)?
Platelet-rich plasma is taken from your own blood. Your blood, or more specifically the platelet component of your blood, is full of powerful growth factors. Those growth factors have proven highly successful at tendon and ligament regeneration.
Your podiatric medicine physician at Foot & Ankle Specialists of Ohio takes a blood sample from you and then inserts that blood into a centrifuge. The centrifuge spins your blood at an extremely high speed, separating the platelets. Your podiatrist then places the platelets in a syringe and injects them into your damaged tissue.
PRP therapy can dramatically speed up your recovery time, especially when used alongside stem cell injections.
What are stem cell injections?
Stem cells are the most versatile cells that your body makes. They’re unique cells because they can turn into any type of tissue needed, from ligament to bone. When injected into a specific area of your ankle or foot, they can greatly enhance your healing and regenerate seriously damaged tissue.
Your bone marrow is a stem cell factory, and your podiatrist can extract these cells using a bone marrow aspirate. Your podiatrist numbs the target area (usually the hip) and then carefully withdraws marrow blood. The marrow blood goes in the centrifuge to separate the stem cells.
Your podiatrist typically harvests platelet-rich plasma during the same appointment. Your podiatrist injects the platelet-rich plasma first because it helps activate the stem cells to start working when they’re injected. Often, you’ll have another PRP therapy session several days after the stem cell injection to help keep the stem cells working and healing.
What conditions can PRP and stem cell injections help with?
PRP therapy and stem cell injections can help with many different foot and ankle problems, arthritis and tendonitis being two of the most common uses for this therapy. Any kind of ligament or tendon damage, whether because of injury or age-related degeneration, can greatly improve with the help of PRP therapy and stem cell injections.
If you want to heal and regenerate damaged tissue at the maximum rate, PRP therapy and stem cell injections can be the regenerative medicine solution you’ve been looking for. Use online booking now or call to schedule your appointment today.