Regenerative Medicine is the “process of replacing or regenerating human cells, tissues or organs to restore or establish normal function.” This field holds the promise of regenerating damaged tissues and organs in the body by replacing damaged tissue and/or by stimulating the body’s own repair mechanisms to heal previously irreparable tissues or organs.
Greco Medical Group is always up to date with the latest advances in Regenerative Medicine, and we have attained a high success rate in delaying conditions that often lead to joint replacements or other invasive surgeries. Most of the current treatments provide symptomatic relief for a short duration, and eventually the patient has to resort to continued pain management therapies and surgeries. Our mission is to restore good joint health.
Greco Medical Group treats knees, shoulders, necks, backs, hips, ankles, elbows, wrists and fingers. Anywhere there is joint pain, there is treatment and hope for restoration of normal movement and alleviation of discomfort.
One of the most common issues for most athletes is chronic knee pain, caused by inflammation due to a wearing on ligaments and tendons. Eventually this may lead to arthritic afflictions. Regenerative Medicine is geared toward non-surgical treatment.
While we attempt to avoid surgery, it is sometimes necessary, and we will assist with recommending, referring, and planning the best course for your particular condition. After surgery, Greco Medical Group physicians will stay with your case, to insure you receive the follow up restorative care you need.
KNEE PAIN & STEM CELL TREATMENT PROCEDURE SARASOTA
New advances in the science of regenerative medicine continue to astonish the medical community and offer hope to those suffering from chronic ailments and illnesses. Painful afflictions such as arthritis have been treated for years with pain medications and topical remedies with little hope for an actual cure. The British source arthritisresearchuk.org reports on an extraordinary breakthrough in cartilage generation in this May 01, 2014 publication:
A groundbreaking study has developed a method of successfully growing fully-functional human cartilage in vitro from human stem cell procedure in Sarasota Florida derived from bone marrow tissue for the first time ever.
This new research, conducted by the Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science in the US and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), could have significant implications for the future treatment of arthritis and musculoskeletal diseases.
Typically, the current approach to cartilage tissue engineering involves placing cells into a hydrogel and using nutrients, growth factors and mechanical loading to help them develop, but this produces mechanically weak cartilage when used with adult human stem cells.
For the new study, a method that more closely resembled the normal development of the skeleton was utilised. As such, the team allowed the mesenchymal stem cells to undergo a condensation stage – just as they do in the body – before starting to make cartilage.
Subsequent tests using the material showed its lubricative property and compressive strength approached those of native cartilage. The researchers were then able to regenerate large pieces of anatomically-shaped and mechanically strong cartilage over the bone, with the aim of repairing cartilage defects.
Next, the team will be be testing their engineered cartilage tissue to see if it maintains its structure and long-term function when implanted.
Study leader Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, a professor of medical sciences at Columbia Engineering, said: “This could have clinical impact, as this cartilage can be used to repair a cartilage defect, or in combination with bone in a composite graft grown in lab for more complex tissue reconstruction.”
A spokesman for Arthritis Research UK said: “Engineered cartilage has to be strong and durable and to remain so when it’s re-implanted into an area of damaged cartilage in the body. It’s one thing to develop something that appears to have these qualities in a laboratory setting, but you have to be confident that it will be durable when used to treat a real-life patient.
“We’re hoping to show that stem cells from bone marrow, cartilage cells or a combination of both can be used to treat patients with early osteoarthritis in the not-too-distant future.”
Dr. Jonathan Greco has devoted his career to remaining at the forefront of this type of amazing and promising research. As a specialist in regenerative medicine, Dr. Greco successfully treats many painful and chronic conditions without the use of strong pain medications or surgery.
Greco Medical Group 