The aim of any regenerative medicine regimen – otherwise known as “orthobiologics” – is to stimulate the body to heal itself. Through cell treatments and PRP, the goal is to harness the healing power of biological components in a patient’s own body. These newly developed biological treatments provide an alternative treatment for chronic pain sufferers to experience long-lasting, natural solutions. With regenerative medicine, techniques and procedures that stimulate cellular repair or the healing of damaged tissues can be used for common pain complaints in both the neck and shoulders. Platelet-rich plasma or PRP is another type of regenerative medicine that has been used since 2005. Platelets are what allows blood to clot. The liquid in plasma contains proteins and growth factors which stimulate different healing responses and repair. When PRP is injected to the origin of any chronic pain in the neck or shoulder, platelets accelerate healing while reducing any inflammation and offering relief from chronic pain. PRP has been used with great success in the treatment of osteoarthritis. In PRP injections, blood is drawn from the patient before being spun down to collect both plasma and platelets. Once they are combined, the solution is injected into the affected areas. Results can last between 6 months and three years.

Neck

According to the Mayo Clinic, neck pain is the fourth leading cause of disability in the United States. Millions of Americans live with chronic neck pain that usually comes after years of wear and tear of the spine. Though current treatments provide nominal and temporary relief, regenerative medicine offers hope. Common sources of chronic neck pain include: Arthritis, Cervical Facet Joint Dysfunction, Herniated Discs and other causes such as nerve and spinal cord problems, fracture and tumor. Neck pain can be treated with PRP as the blood releases growth factors and proteins that promote tissue repair, while the plasma delivers hormones, electrolytes and nutrients to help nourish cells during the healing process. With Cell based therapies, a patient’s own bone marrow is injected to decrease inflammation, awaken other cells and encourage growth of new and healthy tissues. The patient’s cells are able to develop into tendon, ligament, cartilage or bone cells. Prolotherapy, also known as Proliferative Therapy, makes use of dextrose (a simple sugar that is chemically identical to glucose, or blood sugar) and other natural substances. This is then injected into an injured ligament, nerves or joint to stimulate the patient’s body to heal itself. These regenerative treatments are all delivered under image guidance with fluoroscopy (x-ray) or ultrasound to ensure precise delivery to the injured area.

Shoulder

Shoulder pain can severely limit a patient’s ability to perform their daily tasks and enjoy normal activities. Shoulder conditions include: Arthritis, rotator cuff tears, degenerative conditions, Tendonitis, Labral Tears and Dislocations.When the patient’s cells are injected directly into a damaged shoulder joint, they also stimulate a healing response and anti-inflammatory effect.

Other regenerative treatment options include: Amniotic Allografts are derived from placenta. This only happens when volunteers donate tissue that would otherwise be disposed of. This procedure has also been shown to help in soft tissue repair and the promotion of healing, shortening the time it takes for patients to recover. This treatment treats painful conditions such as osteoarthritis or tendonitis of the rotator cuff. Amniotic Tissue Allografts are safe and effective and these injections have been used over 10,000 times in the United States with no reported adverse side effects.

Lipogems which are cells within body fat that contain regenerative capabilities that have been shown to repair damaged tissue. The Lipogem system can decrease inflammation, support and cushion joints, as well as repair damaged cartilage, tendons or other tissue. The fat tissue is gently harvested in-office from a patient by what is called ‘lipoaspiration’ then injected using ultrasound or X-Ray guidance. All these treatments involve injections and may be used to treat conditions in the shoulder or neck. Since these treatments all use natural tissues that alreadyexist within the body, they are not considered drugs and there is no chance of patient rejection. Working with regenerative therapies, it’s important to maintain a physical therapy and/or exercise regimen to complement the procedures. Slow range-of-motion exercises – up and down, side to side, and from ear to ear are optimal.

A simple routine consists of:

• Rolling the shoulders backwards and down 10 times.
• Squeezing the shoulder blades together 10 times.
• Pushing the head backwards into hands and holding for 30 seconds. Bringing each ear to the shoulder 10 times on each side.

A skilled regenerative medicine practitioner uses these highly specialized processes in tandem with exercise and physical therapy to achieve the optimum outcome for each patient. It’s important to find an expert physician who is board-certified and specializes in treating orthopedic conditions along with having advanced training in regenerative medicine. Only physicians with fellowship training in advanced image guided procedures are certified to perform these procedures and they are best suited to procure the best results that utilize the latest research, technology and safety protocols.

Dr. Maria Alejandra De La Peña, MD is a board-certified anesthesiologist with subspecialty certification in Pain Medicine and one of the few doctors in the Ft. Lauderdale area to offer these types of regenerative medicine options to her patients. Her practice at Spine & Wellness Centers of America offers affordable regenerative medicine options for all patients. These therapies are minimally invasive, non-surgical and have very little down time. Results can last from months to years. With these cutting-edge “orthobiologic” therapies, patients can soon feel a reduction in chronic pain in their shoulder and or neck, improved healing of injuries or diseases and an improved mobility and quality of life.