What Is Stem Cell Therapy and How Does It Work?
Stem cell therapy is a type of regenerative medicine treatment in which one repairs injured or diseased tissue using a patient’s own stem cells, which is much more effective than waiting for donor organs and can treat additional diseases. Stem cell therapy can work from just two to twelve weeks, depending on the issue treated. Thus, stem cell therapy can be a quick, highly effective treatment option for patients with torn ligaments, burns, cancer, heart disease, and many more maladies affecting tissue.
How does stem cell therapy work?
Stem cells are the body’s building blocks, and in stem cell therapy a patient’s own stem cells are injected to help them regrow targeted areas. Stem cells may be gathered from either the bone marrow or adipose stem cells. Bone marrow is the center of most bones and contains several blood vessels. Adipose tissue is a loose tissue where fact cells accumulate, and the process for collecting stem cells from adipose tissue is similar to liposuction. Bone marrow stem cells offer more growth and regenerative benefits but are more difficult to extract.
Stem cell therapy cannot cure diseases, but it does offer an assist to help the body to heal itself.
How effective is stem cell therapy?
The effectiveness of stem cell therapy depends on various factors including how severe the injury was, patient age, the type of stem cells used and any preexisting patient conditions. Generally, the more severe the injury the more treatments and time it will take for stem cell therapy to be effective. Additionally, older patients may also need additional treatments for the injected stem cells to facilitate healing. Stem cells can also come from different parts of the body including the bone marrow or adipose stem cells (ASCs) and depending on the source it may be more or less effective. Finally, patient lifestyle habits including preexisting conditions, high alcohol or tobacco usage, can lessen stem cell therapy effectiveness.
However, stem cell therapy can be combined with PRP therapy for better results.
When to get stem cell therapy
Stem cell therapy can be beneficial for those suffering from the following:
- ACL injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Type one diabetes
- Parkinson’s diseases
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Burns
- Cancer
- Osteoarthritis
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Lupus
- ALS
- And more!
Stem cell therapy can also treat patients with damaged bone marrow that can no longer produce healthy blood.
If you’re considering stem cell therapy in Staten Island, contact our office for more information. Dr. Maykel Desir, MD specializes in various regenerative medicine practices including PRP Injections, Stem Cell Therapy, Hyaluronate Injections, Bone Marrow Aspirate procedures and more, and can help advise you if musculoskeletal regeneration is right for you.