Regenerative Injection Therapies

Innovation MD offers several regenerative injection therapies to promote healing. Each of these modalities can be effective when used alone, but are often most effective in combination with other therapies.

  • We perform all complex injections utilizing fluoroscopic (live X-ray) or ultrasound devices​
  • All image-guided injections are performed by the physician

    Get a quick look at the injection room at Innovation MD in this video.

 Below are the principle types of injections available through Innovation MD:

   

MATERIALS TAKEN FROM YOUR OWN BODY:

Two of the most commonly-used injection materials in regenerative medicine come from the patient’s own body:
platelet rich plasma (PRP) and stem cells.

 

PRP
To harvest PRP, we obtain a 50-100 ml blood sample from you and centrifuge it to separate the plasma, red cells and what is known as the “buffy coat.” The buffy coat contains a high concentration of potentially inflammatory white blood cells.  We thus typically aspirate (pull out in a syringe) from the plasma layer near the buffy coat where the platelet concentration is high. Platelets contain an abundance of growth factors and signaling proteins which play critical roles in orchestrating the healing process. For PRP injections, the concentrated platelets are re-injected into your body at specific anatomical targets to help activate healing, decrease pain and improve functional status.

PLATELET LYSATE (PL)
Platelet lysate is appropriate for use in an area where there is concern about particulate material entering the small blood vessels the carry to blood to the structure being injected. An example of such an area is around a spinal nerve root. PL preparation involves more steps than harvesting of PRP. Once the PRP is prepared the vial is placed in a minus 80 degree refrigerator for a few minutes to “freeze fracture” the platetets as well any other cellular material. The preparation is then thawed and re-centrifuged to collect all the fractured material into a pellet. The remaining liquid component contains the growth factors only with all platelets removed so there is no risk of platelets clumping together in a small blood vessel and causing blockage.

AUTOLOGOUS STEM CELLS
Stems cells that come from the patient’s own body are called autologous stem cells (ASCs for short). Stem cells are commonly thought of as cells that have ability to differentiate (change into) to replace cells that are injured. Among other places in your body, stem cells are found in your bone marrow and your fat tissue. Similar to PRP, these cells can be harvested (from bone marrow or fat) for re-injection into specific areas of the body to promote healing.  In terms of how your re-injected stem cells promote healing and regeneration, it is likely this occurs more through the cells acting as “symphony directors” rather than the actually physically changing into new replacement cells.

 


MATERIALS TAKEN FROM SOURCES OTHER THAN YOUR OWN BODY:

 

FEMALE PLACENTA and UMBILICAL CORD
Currently in the US, living stem cells – present in the placenta and umbilical cord – are regulated by the FDA as drugs when used for therapeutic purposes and thus must go through the same approval pathway as a drug. This pathway is very expensive and time consuming. However, because the placenta and umbilical cord ALSO contain an abundance of pro-healing growth factors, the FDA created an exemption pathway (much shorter approval process) to allow these materials to be delivered to patients. This so-called 361 exemption pathway, among other things, imposes the same stringent requirements placed on transplanted materials (e.g. liver, kidney) in terms of being free of infectious agents like bacteria and viruses.

Placental and umbilical cord-derived growth factors can be very effective in promoting healing when injected into specific places in the body that are chronically inflamed or injured.

When considering “stem cell” therapies for pro-healing purposes, you should ALWAYS ASK WHERE THE CELLS ARE COMING FROM. With the exception of bona fide research trials, if a provider tells you that you will receive “stem cells” taken from the placenta, amnionic membrane or umbilical cord, odds are very high you are being swindled or at a minimum, inaccurately informed (unless you are receiving therapy outside of the United States).

OZONE
Ozone is a naturally occurring molecule generated in the stratosphere where it serves to protect the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun. Unfortunately, ozone is also created in the atmosphere that we breathe when pollutants in the air are converted to ozone by heat and sunlight. Breathing ozone is not healthy for the human body.

Ironically, when ozone gas is introduced into the musculoskeletal tissues of the human body by injection, it stimulates healing by helping to ramp up the body’s antioxidant system. Ozone causes a mild to moderate “burst” of oxidative stress which, in turn, stimulates an increase in antioxidant production. Antioxidants play a critical role in the body’s injury repair process.

Ozone has a long track record of safety and efficacy in promoting musculoskeletal healing when it is used appropriately. In the clinical setting, medical grade ozone generators allow for very precise dosing of ozone.

 At Innovation MD, we often combine ozone with other therapeutic modalities including platelet-rich plasma, infrared laser, and pulsed electromagnetic therapies.

PROLOTHERAPY
Injecting an irritant solution such as dextrose can stimulate the body’s healing mechanisms.

We encourage you to independently research ALL of our treatment modalities at Google Scholar and PubMed.

 

 

For human-derived regenerative materials, we adhere to FDA tissue guidances as published on the FDA’s website.

 

 

To learn more, call (470) 252-6710