While most of modern medicine is focused on curing diseases or medicating injuries, regenerative medicine is designed to capture the body’s own healing power. But when did this forward-thinking movement begin?
The Stuff of Myths
To find the first mention of regeneration, we must go as far back as Greek mythology and the story of Prometheus, whose liver would regenerate every night to prolong his torment. Since then, we’ve been fascinated with the body’s ability to heal itself.
Today, the National Institutes of Health describe regenerative medicine as the process of creating functional tissue to repair or replace tissue or organ function lost because of age, disease or damage. (1)
The Healing Function of Bone Marrow and Stem Cells Is Revealed
In 1906, the term “stem cells” was used to describe the theory that there were cells in the blood from which all other blood cells stem. Knowing that these cells were what everything else depended on, a visionary group of medical professionals went on the hunt to prove this theory true.
Their research brought about the following milestones (3):
Regenerative Medicine Takes Off
As more research dollars were given to this newly-named discipline, doctors would dedicate their entire careers to researching, understanding and manipulating the healing properties that our bodies hold.
The fundamental principle of regenerative medicine is not to rely on pharmaceuticals to treat each ailment the body presents but to look to the body itself for the answers. From that principle, two amazing discoveries were made; discoveries which now help patients every day because of pioneering doctors like Dr. Carl Gittens, MD.
The Healing Power of Platelet Rich Plasma Regenerative Therapy
The foundations on which Dr. Gittens has built his practice are the healing properties of each patient’s stem cells and platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Famous athletes like Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal credit this therapy for allowing them to return to competition more quickly than with surgery or medication. (4)
What Is Platelet-Rich Plasma?
PRP is drawn from a patient’s own blood and injected into the sites of injury or discomfort. The plasma contains several growth factors that help trigger the body to heal itself. Drawing on the discovery in 1981, these growth factors can help injured parts of the body grow healthier cells in damaged areas.
PRP is a wildly successful remedy for knee pain as a result of inflammation of the patellar tendon. It is also an effective treatment of other sports injuries like pulled hamstrings, sprained knees, and other acute ligament, tendon and muscle injuries. (5)
Stem Cell Therapy and Knee Health
Each year over 600,000 Americans undergo knee replacement therapy and the numbers are steadily rising. (6) Stem cell therapy that Dr. Gittens employs has been shown to improve the function and health of knees by:
Undeniable Benefits for Patients
If you’re experiencing knee pain, regenerative medicine can help you avoid invasive surgeries that come with significant risk, expense, and downtime. Dr. Carl Gittens takes the time to educate his patients on this revolutionary way of treating, not just their symptoms, but the underlying issue by unleashing their body’s own healing process.
Call for a consultation and get on the road to pain-free movement by exploring both stem cell and PRP therapy. For an appointment in the Stuart location or Carl Gittens, MD Regenerative Medicine Clinic, call 833- 448-8367. Contact our Miami office at 305-351-0631 or our Palm Beach Gardens location at 561-337-3351. Relief is just a phone call away.
