Regenerative Medicine

Regenerative Medicine as defined by the NIH (National Institutes of Health):

Regenerative medicine is the process of creating living, functional tissues to repair or replace tissue or organ function lost due to age, disease, damage, or congenital defects. This field holds the promise of regenerating damaged tissues and organs in the body by stimulating previously irreparable organs to heal themselves.

YESTERDAY

Successful transplantation of bone, soft tissue, and corneas occurred early in the 20th century. Real progress in organ transplantation began in 1954 with the first successful kidney transplant.Transplant surgery success continued into the 1980s with successful heart-lung, single lung, double lung, living-donor liver, and living-donor lung transplants.

TODAY

The rapid development of transplant medicine along with the aging of the baby boomer generation has caused an increased demand for tissues and organs far exceeding the available donor organs. Tissue-engineered products are used to induce bone and connective tissue growth, guide long bone regeneration, and replace damaged knee cartilage.

TOMORROW

By providing healthy, functional tissues and organs, regenerative medicine will improve the quality of life for individuals.

Imagine a world where there is no donor organ shortage, where victims of spinal cord injuries can walk, and where weakened hearts are replaced. This is the long-term promise of regenerative medicine, a rapidly developing field with the potential to transform the treatment of human disease through the development of innovative new therapies that offer a faster, more complete recovery with significantly fewer side effects or risk of complications.

Read more about regenerative medicine at : Report.nih.gov/nihfactsheets

Regenerative Medicine at Bay Area Foot Care: 

Here at BAFC were pride ourselves on staying current with new advances in medical treatments. We have been using regenerative medicine for years to aid in wound healing, bone and tendon injuries.

Follow the BAFC blog for upcoming information on some of our regenerative medicine treatments including:

• PRP (platelet rich plasma) injections for both acute and chronic tendon injuries, plantar fasciitis, plantar plate injuries.
• Amniofix a bioactive tissue matrix that contains growth factors that can aid in chronic plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendon injuries.
• MLS laser therapy which has been proven to decrease pain and inflammation, decreasing the time to heal sprains and strains.