Biologics are substances produced from living organisms or contain components of living organisms. They can be derived from humans, animals, or microorganisms through biotechnology. Biologic substances may contain proteins that control cellular processes, genes that control vital protein production, modified human hormones, or cells that produce ingredients that suppress or activate your immune system. The orthopedic field has adopted biologics Houston to help treat musculoskeletal conditions by regenerating tissue growth and stimulating healing. Below are common forms of biological therapies.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy
Platelet-rich plasma therapy helps repair injuries and improve tissue function. The treatment involves your specialist centrifuging your blood sample to separate platelets from other blood components, attaining platelet-rich plasma. Your doctor injects the extracted concentrated platelets into the injured site to promote healing.
Platelets’ major role is to help blood clot when you have an injury. Platelets contain cytokines and growth factors that help repair injuries and stimulate quick healing. Your doctor can recommend PRP therapy to treat tennis elbow, knee osteoarthritis, wounds, and sports injuries like pulled muscle, sprains, or ligament tears.
Prolotherapy
Prolotherapy involves injecting a small amount of an irritant into the affected region to help alleviate pain. Doctors mostly use dextrose solution as an irritant. Your doctor may use imaging tools like ultrasound to help guide the injection to the right place. Prolotherapy work by jumpstarting your body’s natural healing ability. Injecting an irritant into the affected joint, tendon, or ligament stimulates cells in that region to kick into higher gear, promoting quicker healing.
Prolotherapy can alleviate pain in musculoskeletal conditions like arthritis, degenerative disc disease, lower back pain, tendinopathy, and fibromyalgia. You may get pain relief within a few hours after prolotherapy treatment. Doctors usually suggest three to six prolotherapy injections for optimal results.
Bone marrow injections
Bone marrow injections involve your doctor extracting a small amount of bone marrow from a certain bone in your body and administering it to the injured area. This therapy helps reduce inflammation and stimulate new tissue formation. Bone marrow is a spongy tissue in your bones that creates blood cells. It contains certain growth factors and bioactive proteins that stimulate healing.
Bone marrow also contains stem cells that secrete bioactive proteins and trigger adjacent cells to promote healing. Bone marrow therapy can restore dead bones, stimulate faster wound healing and cartilage function and delay disease progression like arthritis. The treatment can also treat joint osteoarthritis, improve tendon function and treat bone fractures that have not fused back together.
Stem cell therapy
Stem cell therapy involves your doctor extracting stem cells from your body and culturing them in the laboratory to divide and form more cells. The doctor then injects the regenerated cells into the diseased area to help regenerate and repair tissues. Your doctor can extract stem cells from amniotic fluid, bone marrow, or embryo. Stem cell therapy can help treat spinal cord injuries, burns, and osteoarthritis.
Biologics are substances produced from living organisms or contain components of living organisms to help treat various medical conditions. Common biologic treatments include PRP, prolotherapy, bone marrow, and stem cell therapy. Schedule an appointment with J. Michael Bennett, MD, PA, for biologics to stimulate the healing of your musculoskeletal conditions.
