ORTHOBIOLOGICS UK
Musculoskeletal pain and sports related injuries are extremely common and can be very difficult to treat. Sports injuries in particular are increasingly encountered and diagnosed with a demand of quick return to play. Orthobiologics (biological treatments used within orthopaedics) treatments that are becoming increasingly used for various different types of musculoskeletal pain and injury.
Orthobiologics refers to the use of biological cell substances to aid and facilitate repair, healing and regeneration. Orthobiologics are used frequently within acute and chronic pain to improve the healing of bones trauma and injured muscles, tendons and ligaments and are derived from substances that are naturally found in body. When they are used in very high concentrations much more than the normal, they can help speed up the healing and repair, naturally.
Common treatments with in orthobiologics include platelet rich plasma (PRP injection therapy), stem cell therapy, autologous conditioned serum and autologous micrografting. All of which are used to simulate healing and repair of damaged tissue. PRP therapy is by far the most common treatment, as it is simple, quick, non-invasive, safe, cost effective, and works brilliantly. PRP therapy is used to treatment many conditions within medical practice, but specific to musculoskeletal practice, it can be used to treat practically anything. More common treated conditions within musculoskeletal practice include:
Osteoarthritis, particularly the knee joint, shoulder, hip, toe…
Patella tendinopathy
Tennis elbow/golfers elbow
Shoulder tendinitis, rotator cuff damage
Plantar fasciitis
Achilles tendinitis
Gluteal tendinopathy
Hip bursitis
Sacroiliac joint pain
Spinal pain and injury
The body normally has a fantastic process facilitating repair and healing of acutely damaged tissue. Chronic pain can be far more complicated in terms of its mechanisms. With chronically damaged tissue, the repair process can be altered. This can be due to many different reasons Beyond the scope of this article. Some common reasons and causes are listed below:
Progressive degenerative conditions like osteoarthritis.
Prolonged injury, often due to overuse and occupational strains.
Altered brain association and increase sensitivity.
Dysfunctional tissue repair process.
Complex chronic pain syndromes.
Neurological pain syndromes.
Essentially, in any practice you are looking to reduce pain and improve function. Orthobiologics are a great way to assist with healing and repair, naturally. Numerous research and literature over the past decade is showing how effective orthobiologics is for treating many cases of musculoskeletal pain. Also in combination with comparison of steroid injections whereby treatments like PRP injections are showing superiority long-term. It is of course, used along side appropriate rehabilitation and preventative care.
In clinical practice again, we are seeing ongoing fantastic results these safe affective treatments. We are looking to achieve long-term joint and soft tissue preservation, health and function. In any form of regenerative medicine, we should be looking to preserve tissue health and maintain function, as opposed to waiting until it’s too late before surgical intervention is needed.
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