Treatments Flashcards
What is PRP
Platelet Rich Plasma
Also known as autologous (patient derived) conditioned plasma, is a concentrate of platelet-rich plasma protein derived from whole blood, centrifuged to remove red blood cells. Used introduce increased concentrations of growth factors and other bioactive molecules to injured tissues in an attempt to optimize the local environment.
What is BMAC
Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC) is a regenerative therapy procedure that uses cells from a patient’s bone marrow to initiate healing for a number of orthopedic conditions, including osteoarthritis and cartilage injuries.
Chronically painful areas often have inadequate blood supply, healing potential, and regenerative cells to repair damage. BMAC can provide a rich supply of regenerative cells with the ability to replicate into various types of tissue. It has tremendous potential for patients with moderate to severe orthopedic conditions or injuries and is most often used to treat severe arthritis in the shoulder, knee, and hip.
What is OA
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. Some people call it degenerative joint disease or “wear and tear” arthritis. It occurs most frequently in the hands, hips, and knees.
With OA, the cartilage within a joint begins to break down and the underlying bone begins to change. These changes usually develop slowly and get worse over time. OA can cause pain, stiffness, and swelling. In some cases it also causes reduced function and disability; some people are no longer able to do daily tasks or work.
What is RA
Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, which means that your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake, causing inflammation (painful swelling) in the affected parts of the body.
RA mainly attacks the joints, usually many joints at once. RA commonly affects joints in the hands, wrists, and knees. In a joint with RA, the lining of the joint becomes inflamed, causing damage to joint tissue. This tissue damage can cause long-lasting or chronic pain, unsteadiness (lack of balance), and deformity (misshapenness).
RA can also affect other tissues throughout the body and cause problems in organs such as the lungs, heart, and eyes.
What is regenerative medicine
Regenerative medicine is the process of creating living, functional tissues to repair or replace tissue function loss due to age, disease, damage or congenital effects. A cell-based therapy, regenerative medicine involves the injection of stem or progenitor cells and the induction of generation by biologically active molecules.
Each cell of the adult body has regenerative properties – some more than others. Regenerative medicine seeks to create the ideal environment for these healing properties.
How to I optimize the healing environment in my body.
Please avoid alcohol
Avoid NSAIDS prior and after the procedure.
Heat 2-3x per day. 20 min.
Tens Unit.
Continue mild exercise / range of movement.
What are common NSAIDS
Motrin, ibuprofen, Aleve, Naprosyn, Voltaren, Diclofenac, etc.
Define autologous
From self. From the patient.
Contraindications for BMAC
Active cancer and active systemic infection are the most important contra-indications.
Blood thinning medications such as Coumadin must be discontinued and managed
appropriately by your cardiologist or primary doctor prior to the procedure.
Does this treatment regrow lost or damaged cartilage
You may be surprised to hear that answer is – not really. There are many sources of
pain in an arthritic knee. We tend to focus on the cartilage loss, or joint space, but all
doctors who treat this condition see many patients with “bone-on-bone” arthritis who
have very little pain, and others whose x-rays show “moderate arthritis” and are
miserable. Regenerative cellular therapy decreases inflammatory mediators, slows the
enzymes that cause cartilage decay, promotes the production of healthy joint fluid, and
has dozens of other positive effects on the joint. Cartilage repair has been shown to
occur in some small degree, but is not the goal of treatment.
How many treatments will I need?
Most patients require only a single BMAC treatment depending on the degree of the
injury. They may last up to 10 years. However, in challenging cases, if a patient
experiences significant relief that plateaus, they may consider a second BMAC injection.
Am I a candidate?
This is perhaps the most common, yet difficult question – “Am I a candidate for biologic
therapy?” Every day we hear the phrase “I will do this if it works.” Please understand
this treatment does not have the years, if not decades, of research to guarantee or
attempt to predict results. Many patients do very well. Some simply do not. QC Kinetix
is committed to growing the field of biologic therapies in a responsible manner. We are
constantly improving our processes and gathering data to contribute to this exciting and
rapidly evolving field.
We do have enough experience to recognize risk factors that might not allow optimal
results. These factors include smoking, “bone on bone” arthritis that deforms the knee,
and pain so severe daily activities are rather limited. There are times when the medical
provider may simply consider your circumstances, help you look at the big picture and
suggest other treatments as the best option to improve your life.
How quickly can I get back to my regular routine?
For the first 2-3 days, swelling and discomfort are typical in the injected area. By the
end of the first week, these symptoms usually begin to resolve and physical therapy is
started to optimize BMAC effects and facilitate recovery. Patients have responded to
BMAC treatment at varying time frames.
Is BMAC covered by Insurance?
No. While there are currently several publications in peer-reviewed medical journals
showing the positive effects of BMAC therapy on tendon, soft tissue, and cartilage
injuries, it is still not covered by insurance companies at this time.
What is A2M
Alpha-2-Macroglobulin. A2M, a protease-inhibitor, is a specialized protein molecule found in your plasma that has the
unique capability of neutralizing protease enzymes. These enzymes are significantly
responsible for the breakdown in joint and connective tissue in inflammatory conditions, like
tendonitis and arthritis. A2M is unique in its ability to bind and inactivate these destructive
enzymes and is the only biologic we know of currently that can actively inhibit one of the
mechanisms of connective tissue breakdown.
