What Damage can Osteoarthritis Cause?

Osteoarthritis initially affects the cartilage on the end of bones in the joints, such as those found in your arms, legs, and hands. As this cartilage wears down, it causes the bones to rub against each other, leading to pain, stiffness and swelling. This joint disease can be debilitating and have a severe impact on your daily life. Simple daily activities such as walking, driving, getting up and down, going to the grocery store, etc. seem to become a task that causes more pain each day. Depending on what joints Osteoarthritis affects and if left untreated, it can cause severe disability and surgery to replace the joints if not attended to.

One of the major causes of Osteoarthritis development is the formation of bone marrow lesions. These lesions, also known as bone marrow edema can be seen with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound. It was originally thought that these lesions were actual water stores in the bone and marrow, but they consist of a number of different cells and molecules that build up in the area.
Bone marrow lesions develop when Osteoarthritic damage to the bone and cartilage happens more quickly than your tissues can repair itself. This prevents the bone and cartilage from being able to recover, causing damage to occur. Studies have shown that patients with Osteoarthritis in the form of knee pain are 2.5 times more likely to have a bone marrow lesion compared to those with asymptomatic osteoarthritis.

How IO-Core Bone Marrow Injections Treat Osteoarthritis?

The IO-Core Bone Marrow Injections combines the most advanced regenerative medicine techniques available in medicine including PRP and Bone Marrow Aspirate. These approaches involve a core decompression, injection of autologous bone marrow aspirate or platelet-rich plasma, and the placement of an autologous bone dowel graft. Core decompression is a process where the physician extracts the part of the bone that is damaged. This allows the surgeon to leave the healthy bone intact while removing the portions that are causing your Osteoarthritis pain and prevent further damage. A core decompression reduces pressure in the bone, improves blood flow to the area to stimulate the healing process, and will preserve healthy bone tissue from deteriorating. The extracted sections of bone is then filled in using an allograft or autograft of demineralized bone matrix. This matrix can be combined with either platelet rich plasma or bone marrow
aspirate. Both of these options contain important growth factors and proteins that have potential to accelerate the healing process and restore to a healthy function while generating new tissue and reducing scar tissue formation. The bone matrix combined with one of these Regenerative medicine techniques allows quick regrowth of the bone to promote a healthier joint.
Once the new matrix core is ready, it is placed in the joint to provide a scaffold for the new bone growth. This bone core is harvested from a person’s own body, with the most common area being the iliac crest on the top of the hip bone. By obtaining the bone core from the patient’s own body, it prevents any potential issues with rejection or compatibility issues that may be seen with donor tissues. This bone core serves as a graft that allows the bone remodeling process to work more efficiently and attach to the current, healthy bone more effectively. This entire process is done arthroscopically, meaning that no large incisions are made. This significantly reduces potential complications related to internal bleeding, poor wound healing, or infection. This procedure also carries a significantly shorter healing time compared to more
invasive surgeries.
The potential to alleviate the source of Osteoarthritis pain by removing bone marrow lesions has innovated the way physician’s are able to treat Osteoarthritis pain. With the IO-Core therapy patients are able to eliminate dependency on pain medication and allow them to start living a more active lifestyle. This is one differentiating factor between the IO-Core procedure and the other treatments available for treating Osteoarthritis. If you suffer from Osteoarthritic pain, the
IO-Core Bone Marrow Injection treatment is an option that definitely deserves your attention.

what is bone marrow concentrate?

Bone marrow concentrate, also known as BMC, is generated by creating a sample of bone marrow that has a high concentration of stem cells, platelets, and other cells used by the human body for healing. Obtaining BMC is a simple, minimally invasive process. A needle is inserted into the top of the hip bone after the surrounding area has been numbed.

Then, bone marrow is withdrawn, and the sample is centrifuged to separate the various components. Much of the red blood cell volume is removed, providing a more concentrated sample that can be used in regenerative therapies.

The stem cells have the ability to create new tissue to replace damaged cells, and they are able to differentiate into a wide range of different types of tissue, allowing them to be effective in all areas of the body. BMC includes a number of different growth factors as well, which all play various roles in the healing process.

Some of these growth factors help to promote blood flow and the growth of new blood vessels in damaged tissues, others work to reduce chronic inflammation levels and scar tissue buildup, and some work to improve cellular communication to speed up the rebuilding and healing process.

 

What is platelet rich plasma?

Platelet rich plasma, or PRP, is prepared in a similar manner to BMC, but it is derived from a person’s blood instead of their bone marrow. Once a blood sample is drawn and centrifuged, the plasma portion of the blood is isolated. This plasma sample is then centrifuged again, which separates the platelet rich plasma from the platelet poor plasma. The platelet rich plasma is then isolated to be utilized in various treatments.
PRP is packed with tons of growth factors and contains a higher percentage of growth factors than BMC. Together, these two products are able to work in tandem to improve tissue healing substantially. The growth factors help to improve the effectiveness of the stem cells, which are primarily responsible for new tissue growth.

 

How bmc and prp work with other treatments

PRP and BMC have been used in many different medical scenarios and for treating a variety of different injuries. One study noted that using PRP in conjunction with BMC allowed the stem cells to migrate and activate more quickly after an injection than if PRP was not utilized. This also helped to reduce overall inflammation and pain.

Another study looked at the effects of BMC and PRP on bone grafting. They found that bone regenerated much more quickly with both of these substances than it did with either BMC or PRP alone. Another study provided similar results, comparing a bone graft for the lumbar spine by itself compared to one administered with PRP and BMC. Good fusion was seen in four out of the 10 patients who received the allograft alone. However, when the PRP and BMC were added, nine out of 10 patients showed good fusions.

BMC and PRP have also been shown to be effective in ACL reconstruction surgeries. Researchers examined the difference between tendon-bone healing in ACL reconstructions both with and without this combination treatment. After two weeks, researchers found that the PRP/BMC group showed higher amounts of new tissue formation and the tissue that had
formed had a larger load capacity. They concluded that BMC and PRP treatments helped to increase healed tissue functionality and significantly sped up the healing process.

PRP therapy continues to be combined with BMC, and these two therapies are being used in tandem in a number of different regenerative medicine treatments. Promise has been seen treating cartilage injuries, bone injuries, tendon injuries, and more. The ability of this therapy combination to regenerate tissue shows a lot of promise and will most definitely see an increased role in medical treatments in the near future.
Please call us at 623-535-9777 for more information!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4436454/

 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4064995/ 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28002915

https://josr-online.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13018-016-0433-7

How Does PRP Work?

 

PRP is derived from a vial of your own blood. A small amount is taken, and then it is centrifuged to separate the components of blood from one another. This separation isolates the red blood cells from the white blood cells. The red blood cells compact at the bottom of the tube, allowing the white blood cells, also known as plasma, to be easily removed from the top. After this initial separation, the plasma is centrifuged again to isolate the platelet-rich from the platelet-poor plasma.

The platelet-rich portion of the plasma is packed full of growth factors, which all play a role in the healing process. There are a variety of different types, all of which play an important role. Growth factors are especially crucial in the initial phases of healing as they help to regulate inflammation levels, reduce the formation of scar tissue, and help promote the growth of new blood vessels to aid in the healing process.

PRP also has the ability to generate new tissue growth. This can be especially useful for degenerative problems, cartilage injuries, surgical heart procedures, muscle strains, tendon damage, fascia irritation, and more.

 

How PRP Aids in Injury Recovery

Because of the many tissue types that PRP can help heal, it has been shown to be an effective treatment method for a number of different injuries throughout the body.

 

Tendon and Ligament Strains and Tears

Tendon and ligament problems are some of the most common impairments, and they are frequently repetitive injuries as well. Tendon injuries can include rotator cuff tears or strains, tennis elbow, Achilles tendonitis, patellar tendinopathy, and golfer’s elbow. Tendons are responsible for connecting muscles to bones, so they are found around nearly every joint in the body. When muscles are used repetitively, the tendons are forced to absorb a large amount of shock, and they can become irritated from rubbing against bones.

 

Ligaments connect bone to bone. The most common injuries are in either the knee, with the ACL, MCL, PCL, or LCL, or in the elbow, with the UCL, which is commonly injured with throwing. The knee ligaments are often injured in sports such as skiing, basketball, football, or soccer, and the UCL is most commonly injured while playing baseball or softball.

Tendons and ligaments generally heal very slowly because they have very little blood flow. However, with PRP injections, tendons and ligaments have been shown to increase their regeneration and increase the strength of the tissues after healing. This can maintain the integrity of the tendons and ligaments, allowing equal function compared to the original tissue.

 

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis causes damage to and wears down the articular cartilage found on the end of the bones. This reduces joint mobility and can cause constant pain. Osteoarthritis is common in older adults, but it can occur at any age in joints that are overused. The ability of PRP to regenerate cartilage tissues can be a significant help in treating this condition, reducing symptoms and restoring joint function.

One study of 78 individuals who suffered from bilateral osteoarthritis in the knees showed that both a single injection and two injections of PRP into the knee produced positive results, lowering pain and stiffness while increasing physical joint function. They noticed these results both after two to three weeks and after six months. The control group in the study degraded in all of these categories.

 

Cartilage Tears or Spinal Disc Compression

Cartilage tears are most common in the meniscus of the knee, and the intervertebral discs between the vertebrae in the spine can become worn down, dried out, and compressed over time. Both of these injuries result from damage to fibrocartilage. These areas are composed of thick areas of cartilage, and they play critical roles in resisting compression and absorbing forces put through the body. PRP therapies have been shown to help reduce inflammation in these areas, stimulate new cartilage and blood vessel growth, and restore overall function.

One study compared the difference between PRP injections directly after a spinal disc injury, two weeks after the injury, and a control group. Both groups that received PRP injections showed improvement, but the group that received the treatment immediately showed more promising results. The benefits noted included reduced inflammation, more spinal fluid inside the discs, and increased disc height that improved function.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4338460/

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.470.8355&rep=rep1&type=pdf

http://andreassauerbreymd.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Treatment-With-Platelet-Rich-Plasma.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3506140/

How PRP Aids in Injury Recovery

Because of the many tissue types that PRP can help heal, it has been shown to be an effective treatment method for a number of different injuries throughout the body.

Tendon and Ligament Strains and Tears

Tendon and ligament problems are some of the most common impairments, and they are frequently repetitive injuries as well. Tendon injuries can include rotator cuff tears or strains, tennis elbow, Achilles tendonitis, patellar tendinopathy, and golfer’s elbow. Tendons are responsible for connecting muscles to bones, so they are found around nearly every joint in the body. When muscles are used repetitively, the tendons are forced to absorb a large amount of shock, and they can become irritated from rubbing against bones.

Ligaments connect bone to bone. The most common injuries are in either the knee, with the ACL, MCL, PCL, or LCL, or in the elbow, with the UCL, which is commonly injured with throwing. The knee ligaments are often injured in sports such as skiing, basketball, football, or soccer, and the UCL is most commonly injured while playing baseball or softball.

Tendons and ligaments generally heal very slowly because they have very little blood flow. However, with PRP injections, tendons and ligaments have been shown to increase their regeneration and increase the strength of the tissues after healing. This can maintain the integrity of the tendons and ligaments, allowing equal function compared to the original tissue.

 

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis causes damage to and wears down the articular cartilage found on the end of the bones. This reduces joint mobility and can cause constant pain. Osteoarthritis is common in older adults, but it can occur at any age in joints that are overused. The ability of PRP to regenerate cartilage tissues can be a significant help in treating this condition, reducing symptoms and restoring joint function.

One study of 78 individuals who suffered from bilateral osteoarthritis in the knees showed that both a single injection and two injections of PRP into the knee produced positive results, lowering pain and stiffness while increasing physical joint function. They noticed these results both after two to three weeks and after six months. The control group in the study degraded in all of these categories.

 

Cartilage Tears or Spinal Disc Compression

Cartilage tears are most common in the meniscus of the knee, and the intervertebral discs between the vertebrae in the spine can become worn down, dried out, and compressed over time. Both of these injuries result from damage to fibrocartilage. These areas are composed of thick areas of cartilage, and they play critical roles in resisting compression and absorbing forces put through the body. PRP therapies have been shown to help reduce inflammation in these areas, stimulate new cartilage and blood vessel growth, and restore overall function.

One study compared the difference between PRP injections directly after a spinal disc injury, two weeks after the injury, and a control group. Both groups that received PRP injections showed improvement, but the group that received the treatment immediately showed more promising results. The benefits noted included reduced inflammation, more spinal fluid inside the discs, and increased disc height that improved function.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4338460/

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.470.8355&rep=rep1&type=pdf

http://andreassauerbreymd.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Treatment-With-Platelet-Rich-Plasma.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3506140/

The History of Platelet-Rich Plasma

The concept of PRP began in the 1970s in the field of hematology, which is the study of blood. This term was coined so that hematologists could define blood that had a higher platelet count than normal blood. This platelet-rich blood was mainly used for blood transfusions for individuals who suffered from low platelet count in their blood.

Then, in the 1980s and 1990s, PRP began to be used during surgical procedures because it has many properties that help with wound closure, reducing inflammation, and increasing new cell growth. The most common procedures in which it was used were periodontal surgery, maxillofacial surgery, cosmetic surgery, and skin grafting.

Since then, PRP began to be used in orthopedics to help with bone grafts and fractures, connective tissue repair, cardiac surgery, sports injuries, plastic surgery, gynecology, urology, and more. Research has also shown that PRP can be effective at reducing scarring, so it is now being used to improve burn scars, post-surgery scars, and acne scarring.

 

How PRP Therapy Works

Like we mentioned above, PRP is derived from your own blood. A vial of blood is drawn, and then it is centrifuged to separate the different components. This isolates the red blood cells, platelet-rich plasma, and platelet-poor plasma. The plasma rich in platelets is then removed from the vial to be used for PRP therapy.

Platelets play a critical role in the body’s healing processes, especially in the early stages. They help to encourage homeostasis by helping to form blood clots and releasing other chemicals that promote tissue repair.

The benefits of these also help to reduce the need for opioid medications. Opioids are highly addictive, and developing dependence on them is quite common. Using PRP therapy can speed up the healing process, reducing the need for repeated opioid use to manage pain.

 

How PRP is Used in Regenerative Medicine

One of the biggest advantages of PRP is that it is able to be delivered directly into the injury site. It is also easy to obtain, comes at a low price point, and comes with very few potential negative side effects. Because of these advantages, PRP can be used for many different medical treatments.

 

Chronic Knee and Joint Pain

Chronic knee and joint pain is one of the most common areas of discomfort for adults. Injuries to these areas can include osteoarthritis, tendon strains, rotator cuff injuries, plantar fasciitis, sports hernias, knee cartilage injuries, sports injuries, and many more.

PRP has been shown to help increase the growth of the cells responsible for creating new tissues in the damaged area, whether they build new tendons, muscles, cartilage, and connective tissue. PRP can also help to heal the tissues more effectively, leaving them stronger, thicker, and healthier than they would be without it. This can be especially useful for cartilage injuries, such as osteoarthritis, as it can help to treat the root of the problem by stimulating new cartilage growth, which is generally very difficult because of the poor vascularity.

 

Cardiac Surgery

Wound infections are quite common in the sternal area after heart surgery, and in some cases these infections can lead to death. PRP injections have been shown to improve the healing process, reducing the risk of developing an infection.

Excess bleeding can also sometimes occur during cardiac surgery. Because of this, blood transfusions are needed during surgery by some of the patients. The use of PRP in these procedures has been shown to reduce the total amount of homologous blood that patients need to be transfused. Using PRP has been shown to decrease the number of patients that needed additional transfusions as well.

 

Spinal Therapies

Back pain is one of the biggest medical issues in the United States, and PRP injections may be a viable solution for this issue. Disc degeneration occurs when the discs between each of the vertebraes in the spine begin to wear down, harden, and lose their ability to deal with compression. This can result in other issues, such as disc herniation or nerve pinching or damage.

PRP may be able to help inhibit the process of disc degeneration by closing up any tears in the tissues and healing them to prevent fluid leaking. PRP may also be able to help regrow any tissue that has become damaged or worn down, leading to less back pain and more functionality in the spine.

 

For more information on PRP therapy options please contact Active Life Physical Medicine & Pain Center at 623.535.9777 or visit our website at www.activelifepaincenter.com.

 

https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/477353

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3445108/

http://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2210635

https://cardiothoracicsurgery.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13019-016-0452-9

https://www.annalsthoracicsurgery.org/article/S0003-4975(10)64655-3/pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5911760/

How PRP Aids in Injury Recovery

Because of the many tissue types that PRP can help heal, it has been shown to be an effective treatment method for a number of different injuries throughout the body.

Tendon and Ligament Strains and Tears

Tendon and ligament problems are some of the most common impairments, and they are frequently repetitive injuries as well. Tendon injuries can include rotator cuff tears or strains, tennis elbow, Achilles tendonitis, patellar tendinopathy, and golfer’s elbow. Tendons are responsible for connecting muscles to bones, so they are found around nearly every joint in the body. When muscles are used repetitively, the tendons are forced to absorb a large amount of shock, and they can become irritated from rubbing against bones.

Ligaments connect bone to bone. The most common injuries are in either the knee, with the ACL, MCL, PCL, or LCL, or in the elbow, with the UCL, which is commonly injured with throwing. The knee ligaments are often injured in sports such as skiing, basketball, football, or soccer, and the UCL is most commonly injured while playing baseball or softball.

Tendons and ligaments generally heal very slowly because they have very little blood flow. However, with PRP injections, tendons and ligaments have been shown to increase their regeneration and increase the strength of the tissues after healing. This can maintain the integrity of the tendons and ligaments, allowing equal function compared to the original tissue.

 

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis causes damage to and wears down the articular cartilage found on the end of the bones. This reduces joint mobility and can cause constant pain. Osteoarthritis is common in older adults, but it can occur at any age in joints that are overused. The ability of PRP to regenerate cartilage tissues can be a significant help in treating this condition, reducing symptoms and restoring joint function.

One study of 78 individuals who suffered from bilateral osteoarthritis in the knees showed that both a single injection and two injections of PRP into the knee produced positive results, lowering pain and stiffness while increasing physical joint function. They noticed these results both after two to three weeks and after six months. The control group in the study degraded in all of these categories.

 

Cartilage Tears or Spinal Disc Compression

Cartilage tears are most common in the meniscus of the knee, and the intervertebral discs between the vertebrae in the spine can become worn down, dried out, and compressed over time. Both of these injuries result from damage to fibrocartilage. These areas are composed of thick areas of cartilage, and they play critical roles in resisting compression and absorbing forces put through the body. PRP therapies have been shown to help reduce inflammation in these areas, stimulate new cartilage and blood vessel growth, and restore overall function.

One study compared the difference between PRP injections directly after a spinal disc injury, two weeks after the injury, and a control group. Both groups that received PRP injections showed improvement, but the group that received the treatment immediately showed more promising results. The benefits noted included reduced inflammation, more spinal fluid inside the discs, and increased disc height that improved function.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4338460/

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.470.8355&rep=rep1&type=pdf

http://andreassauerbreymd.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Treatment-With-Platelet-Rich-Plasma.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3506140/