Jul 6, 2017 | Articles by Body Part, Knee, Prolotherapy, PRP, Stem Cell Procedures
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!
Jun 15, 2017 | Platelet Lysate, Prolotherapy, PRP, Spine and Neck
Pinched nerves and herniated discs can cause structural problems in your back, in addition to pain and discomfort. They can also cause weakened core stability in the lumbar spine; pinched nerves can also cause lead to deferred pain your hip and knees! Traditional surgical interventions work by cutting out the herniated portion of the disc. Although it may help relieve pain temporarily, this could lead to further issues as they are removing a necessary portion of the disc. While steroid injections are appropriate treatments for acute and sudden back pain, excessive use of steroids have been shown to cause weakening of the bones. This can eventually lead to fractures, especially in older women.
Epidural Steroid Alternatives
At StemCell ARTS, we are able to provide alternatives to high doses of steroid injections. Platelet Lysate, Prolotherapy, and Platelet Rich Plasma are treatments available here to help reduce inflammation, heal injuries and tighten ligaments.
Watch this video from Regenexx to see how our Platelet Lysate treatment stacks up against the standard epidural!
Jun 1, 2017 | Platelet Lysate, Prolotherapy, PRP, Regenerative Treatments
June is National Scoliosis Awareness Month!
We can all agree that our spine is essential since it protects our spinal cord and also allows us to bend and move. However, for those with scoliosis, every day movements can become painful and debilitating. Scoliosis is a disease that affects about 2-3% of the population in the United States, roughly 6 to 9 million people. It usually has an early onset in children around 10-15 years old. The spine has a natural ‘S’ curve when examined from a side view. It is when the ‘S’ shape forms from side-to-side that problems can occur. This can be caused by factors such as: genetics, growth spurts in children, or bone degeneration. Symptoms vary by severity of the condition. For those with mild scoliosis (measured as less than 40 degrees), they might experience deformities such as having one shoulder higher than the other, or a slight hunchback form. People with curvatures greater than 40 degrees can experience more severe symptoms such as weakness, pain, and even heart and breathing issues.
Interventional Treatments for Scoliosis
Most often, when diagnosed and treated early, scoliosis can be reversed. For those who continue to have ongoing symptoms, there are several non-surgical treatment options. Bracing is the most common treatment to stabilize and straighten the spine. Exercises such as guided yoga or those prescribed during physical therapy have proven to be effective as well. Surgical intervention is the last resort because of the risks and complications that could follow such as reaction to metal rods, or paralysis.
Regenerative Options
Here at StemCell ARTS, while we are unable to reverse the curvature of the spine with our treatments, we are able to help stabilize and strengthen it. Using Prolotherapy and Platelet Rich Plasma, we inject the surrounding ligaments to cause inflammation and tell your body’s repair cells to focus on those areas. If patients are experiencing nerve pain associated with pinched nerves before or after surgery, we can utilize our Platelet Lysate treatment. Platelet Lysate (PLM) is often used during a hydrodissection technique which helps separate entrapped nerves from surrounding tissue and in turn, helps ‘calm’ the nerve down.
Watch Dr. Dade explain the benefits of having regenerative procedures here at StemCell ARTS!
May 25, 2017 | Blog, Platelet Lysate, PRP, Spine and Neck
Commonly Misdiagnosed
Mrs. Mariano’s story is common, and echoes the frustration that some women feel when their pelvic pain is misdiagnosed. She woke up after a procedure with debilitating back pain. She saw countless numbers of physicians who could not accurately diagnose her even with the proper imaging. Despite going through a series of conservative measures such as, physical therapy and standard interventional steroid injections, she failed to receive any relief. After a few sessions, her physical therapist started to realize that her pelvis was not staying in place. Julie took this information and ran with it. She did extensive research and was able to find StemCell ARTS.
Treatment at StemCell ARTS
She flew from her home state of Florida to our clinic in Virginia to consult with Dr. Mayo Friedlis. He diagnosed her with pelvic instability, and we were able to create a customized treatment plan for her. We started her on Platelet Rich Plasma and Prolotherapy treatments that help tighten ligaments in order to help stabilize her pelvis. After a few treatments, she was already seeing improvement and continues to strive toward getting back to long walks on the beach and horseback rides!
Watch the emotional interview of how physicians at StemCell ARTS helped Julie Mariano reclaim her life!
May 4, 2017 | Blog, Prolotherapy, PRP, Sacroiliac Joint Pain, Spine and Neck, Uncategorized
Pelvic Pain in Women
We here at StemCell ARTS appreciate all that women (especially our mothers) do for us! We understand that women who have been pregnant are more susceptible to pelvic pain, as child-birth causes trauma to that area. The ligaments around the pubic symphysis get stretched out, and can cause instability; this in turn can cause deferred pain in the hips and low back. Often, these pains are misdiagnosed, and steroid injections provide only temporary relief because they are not treating the source of the problem.
SCA Treatments for Pelvic Pain
Here in our clinic, we provide customized treatments that are able to help tighten up those sacral ligaments and tendons to help relieve pain. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections are concentrated autologous platelets that are hand-processed in our laboratory. Once injected, they are able to shorten and strengthen tendons and ligaments. Prolotherapy is sometimes also an option for those with less severe pain. It is a dextrose-based solution that is injected into the pelvis and surrounding ligaments, also in an effort to tighten them. Prolotherapy causes inflammation which tells your body’s repair cells to congregate to the site, which might have been an old injury that your body has forgotten about. Our treatments can help women (and men) get back to those kids that initially caused your pain!
See how Dr. Friedlis describes diagnosing and treating pelvic pain here at StemCell ARTS!
Apr 27, 2017 | PRP, Regenerative Treatments, Spine and Neck, Stem Cell Procedures, Uncategorized
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!
