Stem cell therapy, also called regenerative medicine, is an innovative medical treatment procedure that revolutionizes how many diseases are treated. This treatment involves injecting, administering, or transplanting differentiated cells into a patient’s body to help change diseased/damaged organs and tissues.
Regenerative medicine helps with issues such as minimizing joint pain, treating ligament & tendon tears, and boosting motion & flexibility. It uses the body’s natural healing process to eliminate pain, rebuild damaged tissues, and effectively heal injuries.
It aims to address the source of pain without depending on surgery or medications, leading to enhanced mobility and function with a quicker recovery time than any surgical option. The benefits of stem cells therapy are increasingly vast in various applications. To scope its essence in modern medicine, below is a breakdown of how it works and the key functionalities driving its expansion in clinical settings.
How Does Stem Cell Therapy Work
Regenerative medicine is an advanced medical procedure; it entails using the regenerative properties of the body’s differentiated cells to heal a patient’s body. Here’s a breakdown of how regenerative medicine procedures work.
1. Evaluation of Patient
Before the stem cell procedure, the specialists conduct an in-depth assessment of the patient’s health status and medical history.
This evaluation helps the specialists determine if the differentiated cell treatment is a good option and decide which type to use.
2. Selecting the Source of the Stem Cell
Depending on the patient’s condition, differentiated cells can be obtained from numerous sources, which include.
- Allogenic: stem cells obtained from a donor, usually their bone marrow.
- Autologous: stem cells collected from the patient’s body, mostly from their adipose tissue (fat) or bone marrow.
3. Collection of Stem Cell
If the specialists or doctor decides to use autologous stem cells, the patient will undergo a procedure to harvest the differentiated cells. For example, a needle collects bone marrow from the patient’s hip bone.
If they choose to use the allogeneic differentiated cells, they will be obtained from a healthy donor and prepared for transplanting.
4. Processing and Isolation of Stem Cell
The harvested differentiated cells are taken to a laboratory to process, mainly to concentrate and isolate them. This process involves centrifugation, filtering, or other techniques that can be used to get a high concentration of differentiated cells.
5. Administration of Stem Cell
The processed differentiated cells are then administered to the patient. The administration process varies, including:
- Injection: The doctors may inject the differentiated cell into the affected part, such as the patient’s spinal cord if it’s a spinal cord injury or the joints to treat arthritis.
- Surgical Implantation: In most cases, the differentiated cells are implanted during surgery, especially for neurological conditions or heart disease.
- IV (Intravenous) Infusion: The differentiated cells can also be implanted into the patient’s bloodstream. This process allows the differentiated cells to circulate throughout the patient’s body, reaching various target tissues and organs.
6. Follow-Up and Observation
After the administration of the differentiated cells, the patients are monitored closely for any adverse reactions or complications. The patients will then be scheduled for follow-up tests and appointments. This is to assess the effectiveness of regenerative medicine and the patient’s overall condition.
7. Rehabilitation and Recovery
Depending on the patient’s condition being treated, they will need time for recovery & rehabilitation. This involves lifestyle modification, physical therapy, and any involvement supporting or speeding up the patient’s healing process.
The patients will be placed under follow-up care and support to assess the effectiveness of the therapy’s effect, ensuring no delayed complications.
Benefits of Stem Cell Therapy
1. A Versatile Treatment Option
Regenerative medicine is used for different health conditions. They can repair, regenerate, and sustain themselves.
Differentiated cells can also differentiate into specialized cell types such as nerve, muscle, and cartilage cells, allowing this therapy to treat diverse conditions and diseases. For example, this therapy is perfect for treating heart conditions such as heart failure and artery disease.
Doctors and specialists in the medical field use this regenerative medicine to relieve neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, Diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease. Click here to learn more about neurological diseases.
This treatment offers relief to the body and improves the quality of life for patients with chronic diseases.
When used in treating Parkinson’s disease, it replenishes the dopamine-producing neurons lost in the brain, potentially lessening motor symptoms.
2. Regeneration and Repair of Tissue
Regenerative medicine promotes tissue repair and regeneration. When the differentiated cells are injected into damaged or injured tissues, they dynamically aid the repair process, thereby promoting the rejuvenation of healthy tissues and making the affected areas functional again.
This therapy is invaluable as it can be used to treat health conditions like spinal cord injuries, osteoarthritis, heart muscle damage, etc.
Treatment of these conditions alleviates the pain patients feel and gives them a chance to recover their lost mobility.
3. Enhanced Wound Healing
Slow-healing and severe wounds most times lead to prolonged suffering and complications. But with regenerative medicine, there’s hope for patients or individuals struggling with slow-healing wounds.
Applying differentiated cells to injuries releases anti-inflammatory agents and diverse growth factors. It creates a better environment for tissues to repair and regenerate. Regenerative medicine has shown outstanding success in treating diabetic ulcers.
Differentiated cells enhance the body’s ability to heal naturally, minimize infection risk, facilitate wound/injury closure, improve the quality of life for patients, and avert potential amputations.
4. Reduces Inflammation and Protects the Nerves
The anti-inflammatory properties of regenerative medicine reduce inflammations in a patient’s muscles and joints. This helps the patient recover quickly from injuries such as strains or sprains.
This therapy is perfect for active patients in sports such as football, basketball, and tennis; it helps them heal and recover fast.
Regenerative medicine is an excellent option for individuals suffering from severe pain, wounds, diseases, and health conditions.
Its outstanding benefits have caught the attention of patients and the medical community worldwide.
Not only does it help the body’s natural healing capability, but it also enables you to avoid using medications for a long time and avoid invasive surgeries. For comprehensive information on how invasive surgeries work, visit https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6678000/.