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Tysons Corner, VA Office Inquiries Call: 703-337-3305
Chevy Chase, MD Office Inquiries Call: 301-895-7962
Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month!

Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month!

Here at StemCell ARTS, we have seen a recent trend with younger and younger patients. These are intense athletes with aspirations of playing in college and hopefully professionally. Injuries and orthopedic surgeries at an age where children are still developing, puts them at a higher risk for the development of juvenile arthritis. Symptoms manifest much like arthritis in adults, where there is characteristic swelling redness and pain in their joints. Each year, more than 300,000 children are diagnosed with juvenile arthritis. Although there is not yet a cure for it, we are able to provide them with non-surgical solutions to their injuries to help avoid surgery and slow the onset of arthritis.

Common Injuries

The most common problems we see are ACL injuries. These can occur during running, impact and quick changes in direction, most commonly found in sports such as basketball, soccer, and lacrosse. Often, common strains and sprains are able to be treated with Prolotherapy or Platelet Rich Plasma injections. However, for those with more extensive injuries such as tears, we have stem cells to help them heal and get back into the game and their aspirations sooner!

Watch Dr. Newton explain how even a slight injury can end someone’s career for the season, and how we can help avoid that!

Let Us Help You Get Your Life Back!

Let Us Help You Get Your Life Back!

Not all injuries occur through strenuous exercise or overuse. Some are caused by car accidents like our next testimonial, Denise Lawson. She experienced pain in her head, neck and shoulder afterwards, which is typical in a high-impact wreck. For some, these symptoms typically fade over time, but for Denise, this eventually lead to degenerative disc disease in her neck. At first the pain was tolerable. As time went on, it became debilitating and she could no longer raise her arm above her head without experiencing searing pain. After exhausting all forms of interventional treatments such as cortisone injections, acupuncture and chiropractor, she finally turned to regenerative treatments.

Diagnosing Treatable Issues

During her consultation, much care and consideration was brought into creating a suitable treatment plan to help with her pain. Our physicians look at the bigger picture and treat our patients as a whole. They saw that her pain in the neck and shoulder were related and those areas were able to be treated at the same time. She started small with our super concentrated Platelet Rich Plasma treatment, which can be customized to the physician’s orders. Our Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) can help heal small tears, sprains and strains in tendon and ligaments. After a few injections she was able to go back to the physical activities she once loved and never thought she could do again, such as boat racing on the Potomac River! She was so happy with the progress in her neck and shoulder that she decided to undergo stem cells in her knee once she started to experience pain there as well. Today, she is completely healed and rowing her way to a long, pain-free life!

Get Back into the Game Sooner with Our Procedures!

Get Back into the Game Sooner with Our Procedures!

Stem cell and platelet treatments are currently in the spotlight due to their high popularity within the professional sports community. And what’s not to love about them?! Regenerative therapies are minimally invasive, and the recovery and down time is minimal when compared to surgical procedures. These athletes depend on their ability to train hard, and an injury or long recovery is detrimental to their careers. Regenerative procedures give them the option of forgoing more invasive orthopedic procedures (if possible). For example, a standard ACL surgery could have a recovery time of up to six months with the need for rehab, six months of bracing and physical therapy in between. After this surgery, there are also higher chances of early onset arthritis in the knee.

With the procedures offered here at Stem Cell ARTS, we are able to provide athletes with platelet and stem cell injections that will help the body heal itself, with little to no down time! A recovery from our stem cell procedure would require a patient to be non-weight bearing for 48 hours after the stem cells are injected into a weight bearing joint. A brace might be required if deemed necessary by the physician and worn for up to 4 months afterwards. Patients are usually able to go back to the gym for low impact exercises just two weeks post stem cell series. We ask that our patients follow up in six weeks, and typically they are back to their normal physical activities by then!

Who’s Getting Our Procedures?

We are seeing patients of all different ages, backgrounds, and activity levels here in our clinics. More and more young, high school-aged athletes are coming to us after their sports injuries. They are hoping to continue their athletic careers into college and hopefully professionally as well. Years ago, a torn meniscus or ACL would automatically require surgery and, at their young age, there is a higher risk of re-injury. The popularity of CrossFit has (unfortunately) helped us expand our patient base. The intensity of exercise craze has created many common problems such as torn labrums and rotator cuff tendinitis. There has also been an influx of elderly active patients that want to keep their active lifestyles. We have seen patients as young as 90 who have gone back to running marathons after just a few treatments!

The Future of Sports Injuries

It would be an ambitious statement to say that one day, regenerative treatments will replace surgical procedures, but our goal is to help as many people avoid surgery as possible. We are aware that surgery means downtime, and we want to spread the word that there are alternatives out there for you if you want to get back outside in this beautiful weather just in time for spring sports!

Read Dr. Christopher Centeno’s post regarding all the amazing athletes they have treated at our headquarters in Broomfield, Colorado!

Regenexx Creates Supplement Designed for Patients Undergoing Stem Cell Treatment

Regenexx Creates Supplement Designed for Patients Undergoing Stem Cell Treatment

What Patients Can Do to Help the Success of Regenerative Therapies

Often, patients ask what they can do to help achieve the best results possible from their regenerative therapies. Most importantly, patients can follow the pre and post procedure guidelines. This includes avoiding certain medications, remaining non weight baring for the time recommended by the physician, adhering to any bracing or activity restrictions. Nutrition is another important aspect that can aid in the success of regenerative therapies. Typically, this involves a diet high in protein. This can also include additional supplementation.

Stem Cells and Supplements

Patients frequently ask questions about over-the-counter supplements and how these supplements can optimize Stem Cell treatments. Often, patients are already utilizing a supplement regime. Acknowledging that nutrition and supplements can, in fact, impact the outcome of regenerative procedures, the researchers at Regenexx in Colorado decided to get more definitive answers. They have performed laboratory testing to determine how mesenchymal stem cells react to a wide variety of dietary supplements. The extensive experiments took about one year and, in the end, Regenexx was able to identify several supplements that help promote healthy stem cell function before, during and after the treatment.

The supplement is in liquid form and is taken daily. The physicians at StemCell ARTS will, typically, recommend that patients begin the supplement at least two to three weeks prior to the start of their stem cell treatment. In addition, patients may be recommended to continue taking the supplement for one to three months following the stem cell series of injections. Continuing to take the supplements promotes joint health. The Regenexx Advanced Stem Cell Support Formula supplements can be purchased through the StemCell ARTS offices, located in McLean, VA and Chevy Chase, MD.

Watch this video from the Regenexx website to see how the supplement was created!

 

Dr. Benjamin Newton Goes “LIVE” to Discuss the Hand and Wrist

Dr. Benjamin Newton Goes “LIVE” to Discuss the Hand and Wrist

STEMCELL ARTS AND FACEBOOK LIVE

As regenerative therapies gain more popularity, StemCell ARTS is aware that many people have numerous questions regarding these new treatment options. That is why StemCell ARTS is excited to utilize Facebook Live to help provide more information. The physicians understand that, prior to committing to an office visit, potential patients want more details regarding regenerative treatments and whether or not these treatments may be right for them. Facebook Live will help the physicians at StemCell ARTS to answer these questions, in real time. Please feel free to tune in when the physicians go live to ask your questions and hear the questions answered during the live feed. If a question is not addressed during the live feed, the staff will respond to the remaining questions in a timely manner. If there is someone who you feel may benefit from these videos, please share the live videos and help StemCell ARTS get more information to those interested in these new and exciting regenerative treatment options! Click the link below to see Dr. Benjamin Newton go “LIVE” for the first time.

EVALUATING HAND AND WRIST CONDITIONS

Dr. Benjamin Newton reviews some common conditions of the hand and wrist, in more detail. In addition, Dr. Newton describes how the physicians at StemCell ARTS approach the initial evaluation. The initial evaluation is important to help the physicians establish a primary diagnosis. This diagnosis is essential to determining the recommended treatment plan. Dr. Newton discloses what some of these recommended treatment plans could entail. Some treatment plans may include other modalities, such as physical therapy or bracing, to name a few. When reviewing potential treatment options, Dr. Newton also talks about the regenerative therapies that can be used to treat common injuries of the hand and wrist. He describes how the various treatments help the primary diagnosis and how these treatments are administered.

Dr. Newton Goes “LIVE”

Treating Hand Arthritis with Stem Cells – Outcome Data

Treating Hand Arthritis with Stem Cells – Outcome Data

HAND ARTHRITIS

Hands are used frequently in most daily activities. As a result, the pain and discomfort caused by arthritis of the hand can negatively impact how people go through daily life. Since hands are used so often, the constant swiveling and pivoting of the joints in the hands easily wear out the joints. Arthritis, especially of the hands, is often thought to happen later in life. However, the persistent motion of the hand joints can cause the condition to appear early in life. This is particularly true of people who use their hands for athletic activities, or those who perform intricate arts and crafts. Previously, surgery was one of the only options for those suffering from arthritis of the hands hoping to relieve the pain.

STEM CELLS TO TREAT HAND ARTHRITIS

Fortunately, StemCell ARTS offers stem cell procedures that help patients achieve pain relief AND avoid surgery. Seem too good to be true? Patients frequently ask if these procedures work and how patients are responding post stem cell procedure. Being part of the Regenexx network of physicians, StemCell ARTS tracks the outcomes of all patients who undergo regenerative procedures with the office. With all Regenexx network affiliates following the same protocol, StemCell ARTS is able to provide outcome data of all patients who have received the same Regenexx procedures across the country.

What does this mean for patients? This means that, when patients ask if these procedures work, StemCell ARTS is able to provide them with data to answer that question. Take the infograph provided in the link, below. This data reflects all 124 patients, as of 2015, who have had stem cells performed to treat hand arthritis. Of the 124 patients, 93 were treated for hand joints, 26 for the wrist, 18 for other hand joints (such as the thumb), and greater than 60% of the patients suffered from severe arthritis. Prior to the stem cell procedures, patients were reporting an average of 5.6 pain level. Post stem cells, the pain level had decreased to an average of 2.9. This means that some pain levels were higher than the 2.9, others were lower. What patients should take from this data is that the average pain level for these 124 patient was cut nearly in half.

Think that stem cell treatment might be right for you? Come see the physicians at StemCell ARTS. They will provide a comprehensive exam and review any imaging. Once the examination is completed, the physicians at StemCell ARTS will provide you will a customized treatment plan that they feel will be most successful in treating each patients’ specific condition.

Stem Cell Outcome Data – Hand