Orthobiologic Medicine

Bone marrow aspirate (BMA) is a procedure in which the doctor harvests your body’s own bone marrow, creates a stem cell concentrate, and injects it into the area(s) of injury. These injections work directly at the site of injury or degenerative tissue to greatly increase healing potential. Bone marrow contains growth factors and anti-inflammatory proteins which promote healing. It may be an option for patients who are not good candidates for surgery and have cartilage injuries, ligament or tendon injuries, or osteoarthritis. Most patients see improvements in 4-6 weeks, with the long-term healing lasting 9-12 months, and the side effects are minimal.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a treatment for soft-tissue injuries such as chronic tendon or acute muscle and ligament injuries. Your blood is partly made up of platelets, which contain growth factors that promote tissue repair. PRP is a plasma solution that contains 5-10 times the standard concentration of platelets – created from your own blood. PRP is injected directly into the injured area to speed up the body’s own healing processes. Patients typically start to feel some benefits within several weeks, but the healing process lasts 9-12 months. Though it’s unclear exactly how PRP works, studies have shown that it can speed up the healing process for some injuries. 

Viscosupplementation is an alternate treatment option for osteoarthritis pain, particularly in the knee, in which a solution of hyaluronic acid is injected into the joint. Hyaluronic acid is a main component in synovial fluid, which surrounds your joints and acts as a lubricant. Theoretically, by injecting hyaluronic acid directly into the joint it can facilitate and improve range of motion. The procedure itself involves up to 5 injections over the course of several weeks, to be repeated approximately every 6 months. Though pain relief has not been shown to be a consistent benefit, some patients do report pain reduction as a result of the procedure.

Cortisone injections are a non-invasive treatment to reduce inflammation in a localized area, such as a tendon or joint. Cortisone is the man-made version of the hormone cortisol, which is a natural steroid that prevents inflammation. You may hear cortisone injections called a corticosteroid or a steroid shot. Cortisone shots are often used to treat arthritis, tendonitis and bursitis. Short term side effects are rare, but there are some serious long-term effects. Because of this, your doctor will limit the number of injections you can safely receive. The injections are quick, and patients typically experience very little pain.