Regenerative medicine (RM) encompasses an emerging field of medicine with the goal of replacing, engineering, or regenerating human cells, tissues, or organs lost or injured due to age, disease, or congenital defects to restore or establish normal function.

Regenerative Medicine procedures include the use of hypertonic glucose solution, platelet-rich plasma, autologous mesenchymal stem cells, and various allogenic biologics.

Regenerative medicine also includes the possibility of growing tissues and organs in the laboratory and implanting them when the body cannot heal itself. Hyaluronic Acid or Viscosupplement injections fall into this category.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is often referred to as ‘degenerative joint disease’ and usually develops slowly, over a period of years. It is quite common among adults and athletes with an estimated 6% of adults aged 30 and above having frequent joint pain, often in the knees. Trauma and overuse of the joints, especially in professional athletes are common factors that lead to OA. Over time, the cartilage on the surface of the joint starts to get damaged and wear away causing pain and stiffness at the joint site.

Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is a sugar molecule found naturally throughout the human body. It is an important component of the joint fluid (synovial fluid). The joint fluid allows joints to move easily and freely while also absorbing the shock during activity. In a healthy joint, the joint fluid helps to protect bones and other joint tissues from injury and disease.

The HA in your joint tissues is continuously broken down and replaced over time. During the slow progression of OA, the HA is broken down faster than it is replaced in the joint tissues. This has a negative effect on the properties of the joint fluid causing it to change and stop working properly.

By injecting HA into the joints, we can mimic the effect of natural HA and restore the balance of HA in the joint fluid.

What is A-PRP ®?

Platelets are key factors in hard and soft tissue repair mechanisms

1. They provide essential growth factors, such as FGF, PDGF, TGF-ß, EGF, VEGF, IGF, which are involved in stem cell migration, differentiation, and proliferation.
2. Additionally, platelets also stimulate fibroblasts and endothelial cells to induce new extracellular matrix deposition and neo-vascularisation, respectively.

Plasma contains many factors essential for cell survival including nutrients, vitamins, hormones, electrolytes, growth factors (such as IGF and HGF), and proteins.

Among the plasma proteins, the molecules vital for the coagulation process and for the fibrin polymer formation will serve as a scaffold for cell migration and new tissue generation.

Autologous Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy (A-PRP) is a promising solution to accelerate healing of tendon injuries and osteoarthritis naturally without subjecting patients to significant risk. The philosophy is to merge cutting edge technology with the body’s natural ability to heal. PRP technology was initially developed 20 years ago to aide with wound healing and blood loss. Its benefits are now being applied towards the facilitation of healing tendons and cartilage. In fact, A-PRP has been widely used for years in Europe to treat various tendon injuries.