Regenerative Medicine

Prolotherapy is an injection treatment that uses a small amount of an irritant made of a sugar solution to jumpstart your body’s natural healing abilities to relieve pain. When your body recognizes the irritant, it sends immune cells and other chemicals to the affected area, starting your body’s natural healing process.

Although not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), experts have found that prolotherapy helps relieve pain in people with musculoskeletal conditions. These are conditions that affect the joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues.

Prolotherapy is a safe procedure that can be helpful for people who have conditions such as:

• Chronic low back pain
• Tendon injuries
• Ligament injuries
• Pain in joints or muscles

At Impact Sports & Spine, we perform prolotherapy to alleviate chronic pain, improve joint stability, and enhance your overall mobility.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a treatment that harnesses the healing power of growth factors found within our blood. 

Platelets store growth factors that are released at sites of injury to influence tissue healing.  These growth factors can be harvested and concentrated through a blood draw, in order to be used therapeutically. During a platelet-rich plasma procedure, our team removes blood, typically 50-150 ml, from the arm using a needle inserted into a vein. 

Then, the blood is spun in a centrifuge to separate the different components according to their density. After centrifugation, the concentrated platelets in the blood plasma form what is known as Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP). In simple terms, it is a blood product rich in platelets and growth factors. At Impact Sports & Spine, the concentration of the platelets often exceeds a 10-fold increase compared to the patient’s whole blood.

The healing potential of PRP may be useful in addressing osteoarthritis, injuries of tendons, joint sprains, pulled muscles, and entrapped nerves.  

Microfragmented adipose tissue transfer (MFAT) is an FDA-compliant procedure that uses fat tissue, often from areas like the abdomen or flank, to promote healing and tissue repair. 

Adipose tissue is harvested from the body through a minimally-invasive procedure performed under local anesthesia. It is then processed into smaller fragments, releasing beneficial components, such as growth factors, cytokines, and cells that stimulate repair. 

Growth factors are proteins present in your body that help regulate cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, and healing processes. These proteins are typically produced by various types of cells, including platelets, fibroblasts, and immune cells. Cytokines are proteins that control the growth and activity of immune cells and blood cells. The cells that promote healing are called mesenchymal stromal cells (or medicinal signaling cells), which have been shown to release growth factors and cytokines when injected into the area of injury.

The microfragmented adipose tissue is injected or implanted into the target area where tissue repair or regeneration is needed in the body. The MFAT technique can provide structural support, help repair wounds, reduce inflammation, and reduce pain.

At Impact Sports & Spine, we perform the bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) procedure by collecting bone marrow aspirate from large bones, such as the pelvic bone, through a minimally-invasive method. Bone marrow is the soft, spongy substance in the inner cavities of bones. It holds blood and stem cells, which help support the normal functioning of tissue like bone, cartilage, fat, and blood vessels.

After applying numbing medication to your lower back, we harvest the liquid part of your bone marrow using a hollow needle. The sample is called bone marrow aspirate. We process and concentrate this sample to produce BMAC, which is about six times denser with stem cells and growth factors than the original aspirate.

We locate the injection site for this concentrated dose using advanced imaging technologies like ultrasound or fluoroscopy. Bone marrow aspirate concentrate may help improve the function of cartilage, tendons, and joints and delay bone disease progression.

Interventional regenerative spine injections are a cutting-edge approach for pain management and spinal care. These injections typically involve delivering biologics such as platelet-rich plasma or bone marrow concentrate cells. 

We administer these spine injections directly into affected areas of the spine under image guidance, such as fluoroscopy or ultrasound, to alleviate pain and promote healing in the spine. These injections aim to reduce inflammation, promote tissue repair, and alleviate chronic pain at its source.

• PRP injections harness the healing properties of platelets to reduce inflammation and stimulate tissue repair in damaged spinal discs, joints, or nerves. 
• Bone marrow concentrate injections introduce medicinal signaling cells (formerly mesenchymal stem cells) that have the potential to help in the regeneration of spinal tissues.

Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment that uses high-energy sound waves to stimulate the body's natural healing processes. It can help reduce inflammation, improve blood flow, stimulate tissue repair, and reduce pain to improve mobility and function.

There are two types of shockwave therapy: Radial Shockwave and Focused Shockwave.

• Radial (EPAT) Shockwave: Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Technology (EPAT) or Radial Shockwave therapy uses a lower-energy acoustic wave that spreads in a radial pattern. Radial shockwaves provide a broader, less focused wave that is ideal for treating superficial soft tissue injuries. 
• Focused Shockwave: This type of shockwave therapy delivers high-energy pulses directly to the affected area, making it ideal for deeper tissue conditions. The focused nature of the waves allows for targeted treatment of specific areas. 

Shockwave therapy may be used to treat a variety of musculoskeletal conditions.  Treatments are typically well tolerated and require minimal downtime, making them a great “in-season” treatment option for athletes and active individuals.  Whether you're an athlete dealing with a sports injury or an active individual experiencing chronic pain, shockwave therapy may be a viable option for pain relief and accelerated healing.