Amazing. Revolutionary. Fantastic. Miraculous. None will do. It’s hard to find adjectives adequate to describe the impact that stem cell research is having on the twin worlds of medicine and biology.
Many of the beneficial results from the ongoing whirlwind of stem cell research are still being discovered. But the current state of medical knowledge and clinical practice already provides very real and tangible benefits. This is especially true in the field of pain management, as practiced at Nuvo Spine and Sports by Dr. Payam Vahedifar.
As an example of how stem cell therapy works, take Jack Nicklaus, a golfer universally recognized as being among the game’s GOATs (greatest of all time). Throughout his stellar career, Nicklaus has suffered from sporadically severe back pain. Although he tried every available form of back pain treatment, from cortisone shots to spinal operations, the debilitating pain persisted.
In 2016, Nicklaus underwent stem cell therapy. Stem cells collected from adipose tissue in his abdomen were spun in a centrifuge. The resulting slurry, rich in stem cells, was injected into the damaged tissue in his spine and neck.
Nicholas recently stated that the pain he used to feel while playing golf has subsided. He plans to continue to play golf, for “as long as my stem cells allow me… I hope to play for my lifetime. I’m not a doctor, but I think that stem cells are going to change the direction of orthopedics, totally.” (CNN link)
At Nuvo Spine and Sports we specialize in regenerative adult stem cell therapy, using autologous stem cells, collected either from our patients’ adipose tissue or from their bone marrow.
Stem cells are the raw material from which all our bodily components are fashioned. Pluripotent stem cells exist in a primitive and pure state. They have yet to differentiate into the specialized cells which make up our bodies’ various organs and structures. They are dazzlingly versatile. But the more exotic and ambitious capacities of pluripotent stem cells are currently confined to the laboratories of research scientists.
Stem cell research has yielded viable therapeutic alternatives to pluripotent stem cells. Adult stem cells are one such alternative. While their ability to resolve into different types of cells is somewhat limited, adult stem cells have the capacity to regenerate, restore, and heal damaged tissue.
The medical team at Nuvo Spine has fully harnessed the regenerative capacity of our patient’s adult stem cells. We can use your own stem cells to revive and repair the damaged tissue which is the source of your pain. Because the stem cells are autologous (i.e., derived from your own system), negative immune responses are avoided.
Two sources of adult stem cells are adipose tissue and bone marrow. Adipose tissue is primarily composed of cells containing fat. The marrow inside your bones is where your body manufactures blood cells, both oxygen carriers (red cells) and disease fighters (white cells).
Our regenerative stem cell therapy induces a reparative response from the damaged tissue that’s causing pain. After being injected into the area of pain, your stem cells’ healing and growth components will begin to revive the damaged tissue. Your stem cells will also recruit the local resident cells to resume their long dormant efforts to heal your chronic pain.
The protocol for extracting stem cells from adipose tissue is somewhat different from that used to collect stem cells from bone marrow. The relative therapeutic efficacy of stem cells from the two sources is also variable. It depends on the nature of the damage to be repaired. The mode of therapy most suited to eliminate your pain will be reviewed during your consultation with Dr. Vahedifar.
We approach our work armed with regenerative strategies bred from sports medicine and the neurological sciences.
The Nuvo team of medical professionals is solely dedicated to minimizing or eradicating pain by resolving the underlying conditions that cause the pain. We are proud that we consistently achieve that goal and successfully enhance our patient’s overall quality of life.
To request more information or schedule a consultation, please call (888) 370-9334 or make your appointment online.
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