Jul 20, 2018 | Blog
Treating Why You Hurt, Not Just What Hurts
Remember that song from your kindergarten days, “The foot bone’s connected to the shin bone; the shin bone’s connected to the thigh bone; the thigh bone’s connected to the hip bone…”
The idea was simple: lots of different parts work together to help us walk, dance, jump, etc. Yet for too long, the field of pain medicine has centered on the idea that doctors should focus on identifying and treating one particular cause of a patient’s pain—a disc, a joint, a nerve.
But if we truly accept that the different body parts work together, then why should we simply focus on one source of pain? We know that the 24 vertebrae of the spine (neck, upper back, and lower back) act as one. We call that the functional spinal unit (FSU). We also know that the FSU is part of an even larger musculoskeletal system that involves muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues.
We have learned that for most patients, looking at the entirety of the FSU and its related muscles and tendons beats just treating one part. It enables us to determine why our patients hurt so we can begin to treat the underlying issues that create pain rather than just treating the pain itself. Our regenerative stem cell and platelet rich plasma therapies use the patient’s own healing factors to speed the repair of tissue damage that is often the root cause of pain.
The pain medicine specialists of Stem Cell Arts, an affiliate of National Spine & Pain Centers, Cellandare trained and licensed to perform the Regenexx® Family oCell and stem Platelet procedures. They provide unparalleled expertise in stem cell and platelet-rich plasma therapy for orthopedic injuries and remain unrivaled in research presentations, publications, and academic achievements.
So stop settling for pain care that only treats what hurts. Let us address why you hurt so you can achieve long-term healing and pain relief. Call us today.
Jul 13, 2018 | Blog, Elbow
Are You Recovering from Tennis Elbow?
We are in the heart of championship tennis season: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. But you don’t have to be a Serena Williams or Rafael Nadal to suffer from tennis elbow.
Lateral epicondylitis (the medical term for tennis elbow), is caused by overuse. Although playing tennis or other racquet sports can cause this condition, any repetitive motion of the elbow can cause the tendons that join the forearm muscles on the outside of the elbow to become inflamed and painful.
The usual course of treatment for tennis elbow is a combination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs) and physical therapy to stretch and strengthen the muscles of the forearm.
When these measures fail to bring relief, the traditional next step has been to use steroid injections to introduce anti-inflammatory medicines directly to the injured area. But these medications cannot heal the tissue itself. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, however.
Because they use the healing agents from your body’s own blood platelets, PRP injections have been shown to provide an effective long-term improvement in patients with tennis elbow. One study found them to be more effective than steroids.
The pain medicine specialists of Stem Cell Arts, an affiliate of National Spine & Pain Centers, are trained and licensed to perform the Regenexx® Family of Stem Cell and Platelet procedures. They provide unparalleled expertise in stem cell and platelet-rich plasma therapy for orthopedic injuries and remain unrivaled in research presentations, publications, and academic achievements.
Call Stem Cell ARTS today to learn more about the healing properties of platelet-rich plasma therapy so you can ace your recovery from tennis elbow.
Jun 28, 2018 | Blog, Uncategorized
Dear patients,
Edison HealthCare is pioneering a new level of health care for patients by avoiding inefficient and unnecessary treatments. As you likely know, Stem Cell Arts offers Regenerative procedures consisting of Stem Cells Platelets and Growth Factor injections to treat musculoskeletal diseases and injuries. We have helped many people avoid surgery, including replacement of the knee, shoulder, and hip, as well as treating sports injuries, like ACL tears and rotator cuff tears. These treatments use a patient’s own biologic components to actually heal the injuries or damage. You may also know that we have partnered with the company Regenexx, as our research collaborator, to ensure that the treatments that our patients receive are based on the finest and most advanced processes in the world.
That said, many of you have asked “when will insurance start to cover these treatments?” Regenexx, and we, as one of its licensed providers, are actively pursuing self-insured companies to get regenerative treatments covered. Self-insured companies are well motivated to cover regenerative procedures.
The Regenexx treatments, using biologics from your own body offer a solution that provides a low-cost alternative to as many as 70% of orthopedic surgeries allowing employers to save more than 80% on orthopedic costs. Obviously, employers paying their own medical bills are extremely interested in these alternatives and the savings that they can create. With this in mind, we are forwarding you the press release noted below with the link, so that you may read further on some of these relationships that are being made. If you work for a self-insured company, or have influence at the human resource or benefits level, you may be interested in making your company aware of these opportunities and, at the same time, helping herself by getting these procedures covered for your own use. This marks the true beginning of regenerative medicine as a medical specialty.
Sincerely,
StemCellArts
Jun 21, 2018 | Blog, Uncategorized
Fact vs. Fiction
The use of stem cell therapy to treat osteoarthritis continues to grow, as does the field of research that supports this treatment. There are, however, some persistent myths about the treatment that we continue to refute. They include:
- Stem cells are harvested from aborted fetuses. This is simply not true. At Stem Cell Arts, we use your body’s own stem cells to speed up your body’s capacity for healing itself.
- If you are past a certain age, your stem cells are too old to be used. Again, this is false. If you are still living and breathing, you have proof that your stem cells are working fine. In fact, the registry data that we have collected since 2005 shows no fall off in stem cell efficacy when used for orthopedic treatments as you age.
- Every practice that offers stem cell therapy is trained in its use. That’s like saying major leaguers and little leaguers all know how to catch a fly ball. Although they may know what they are supposed to do, it doesn’t mean they do it well or with the same level of experience and skill.
That is the Stem Cell Arts difference. Our physicians are board-certified pain medicine specialists who are trained and licensed to perform the Regenexx® Family of Stem Cell and Platelet procedures. They have been performing stem cell and platelet rich plasma therapies for more than 10 years. They offer unparalleled expertise and remain unrivaled in research presentations, publications, and academic achievements.
Unfortunately, many other practitioners claiming to be specialists in stem cell therapy have done nothing more than attending a weekend training session.
When it comes to stem cell therapy, experience matters. Don’t fall for a quick sales job. Do your homework and you will quickly discover that Stem Cell Arts, an affiliate of National Spine & Pain Centers, is a big leaguer when it comes to safe, effective and experienced treatment of orthopedic conditions using advanced stem cell therapies.
May 31, 2018 | Blog
Medical history is full of treatment advances that were initially met with skepticism and fear. The idea of eradicating diseases such as polio and small pox by actually injecting people with weakened versions of those viruses required an enormous amount of public education and successful clinical research to demonstrate the vaccines’ efficacy. Yet we now know that outbreaks of deadly diseases such as cholera, measles, polio and small pox have been virtually eradicated thanks to these vaccines.
Today, similar fear and misunderstanding surrounds the use of stem cells to help the body heal injured tissues. Stem cells naturally self-renew, allowing for faster healing and recovering of damaged or worn bone or tissue due to injury or disease. By introducing new stem cells where there might be a lacking, the body can begin to heal itself without the use of invasive surgery.
Many people still believe that stem cells can only be harvested from embryonic stem cells, however, there are several other ways to obtain adult stem cells that do not raise ethical or moral concerns. These include:
- Bone marrow has stem cells that help the body create new blood channels that can bring nutrients and healing to injured tissue.
- Body fat contains adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) that consist mostly of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that contain high levels of restorative properties.
- Post-delivery amniotic fluid, umbilical cord tissue and placental blood and tissue that is collected after a baby is born are also good sources of restorative MSCs.
Given their regenerative properties, stem cells have proven to be an effective treatment for numerous orthopedic conditions, including one that affects an estimated 14 million Americans, including 2 million people under the age of 45: knee osteoarthritis.
Stem Cell Arts uses Regenexx,® the nation’s leading stem cell and platelet procedures, to treat the chronic pain and inflammation that accompanies knee arthritis. Regenexx® provides the highest concentration of healing stem cells to help patients overcome the discomfort and immobility that accompanies arthritis in their knee—without the extensive recovery and rehabilitation required after invasive surgery.
If you’d like to learn more about how Stem Cell Arts can use the latest advances in safe, responsible regenerative medicine to help you overcome knee, back or other orthopedic pain, contact us today. We are happy to explain how advances in this exciting field of medicine can help you live without pain.
May 24, 2018 | Blog, Research
You may have seen the recent headlines about federal officials shutting down clinics in California and Florida that were offering unproven stem cell therapies that had not undergone standard, regulated clinical trials.
We applaud these efforts because we do not want rogue clinics to discourage patients in pain from seeking out the care offered by legitimate stem cell practices like Stem Cell Arts.
Stem Cell Arts is one of the nation’s leading stem cell-based musculoskeletal practices, with extensive stem cell orthopedics experience. Our physicians are highly trained and licensed to perform the Regenexx® family of stem cell and platelet rich plasma procedures. Regenexx® is a recognized leader in cell-based medicine and has published more data on stem cell safety in peer-reviewed medical research for orthopedic applications than any other group worldwide.
As experts in stem cell and platelet rich plasma therapies, Stem Cell Arts’ physicians regularly contribute to research presentations, publications and other academic work designed to promote greater understanding and advancements in this highly specialized area of orthopedic medicine.
That is why when you or someone you know wants to learn more about stem cell therapy to address conditions such as arthritis, herniated back discs, tendon tears or joint injuries, we encourage you to do your homework. Although the number of clinics offering stem cell medicine has grown rapidly in the last few years, as the recent headlines tell us, many of these facilities do not provide the same level of expertise and peer-reviewed data offered by established, respected providers like Stem Cell Arts.
If you are considering elective surgery or joint replacement due to injury or arthritis, you should know that Regenexx® stem cell and platelet rich plasma therapies can provide effective pain-relief and healing without the lengthy recovery and rehabilitation that often accompanies traditional surgery.
At Stem Cell Arts, we are committed to providing the highest level of care, honesty, and compassion. We review all our candidates carefully to ensure that they meet the physical requirements for stem cell and platelet-rich-plasma therapy. We will not waste your time or your money if we do not believe we can help you.
As an affiliate of National Spine & Pain Centers, Stem Cell Arts’ physicians are board certified in the specialties of sports medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation. We are proud to offer the most trusted and effective orthopedic stem cell procedures currently available. We welcome the chance to meet with you and to add you to our list of satisfied patients. Contact us today.
