How Does Regenerative Treatment Work?

Regenerative treatment, also called regenerative therapy, refers to the process of using specialized techniques to promote tissue healing and provide much-appreciated benefits for the skin, joints, and other structures. It’s also widely considered a safe process since it takes advantage of the body’s natural healing processes. If you are new to regenerative treatment, here’s a closer look at how it works and how you may benefit from this type of treatment.

So, What is Regenerative Treatment?

Before explaining how this type of treatment works, let’s start with a look at what it is and how you may benefit from it. If you’ve heard of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, the concept is similar. In a nutshell, it involves providing assistance with tissue healing and cell regeneration. Because of advances with regenerative treatment and increased accessibility to this type of treatment, there are more areas of the body that can now be treated with this type of therapy.

Normally, cells in your body develop with a very specific purpose. Because of this, they are not able to function the same way in another part of the body. In other words, skin cells cannot do the same things your bone cells do. But thanks to regenerative treatment, healthy cell regeneration is possible.

Your body does naturally produce cells in response to an injury or whenever there is a need for tissues to heal. However, there are times when not enough cells are able to get to the affected area without a helping hand. There are many potential benefits associated with regenerative treatment. Some of the main ones include:

• Healing tissues affected by arthritis
• Reducing the pain associated with joint-related conditions
• Facilitating the healing of sports-related injuries
• Reducing discomfort in joints, especially ones in highly mobile areas like your knees and shoulders
• Improving treatment results with certain immune system disorders
• Assisting with the treatment of certain neurological or metabolic disorders
• Easing back pain that’s related to damaged or irritated tissues
• Minimizing the appearance of scarring

What Happens Before Regenerative Treatment?

The first step with this treatment is to usually conduct a thorough examination. The purpose for doing so is to determine if you would likely benefit from this type of therapy. Blood tests and image tests are often performed to look for signs of infections, underlying health conditions, and the condition of joints and/or tissues in the affected area.

An initial examination can also confirm that the correct source of your problem or discomfort has been identified. This is especially important if regenerative treatment is being used to relieve pain due to a specific injury or condition. If the actual source of your discomfort isn’t treated, then the therapy won’t produce the desired results.

For instance, if you are considering regenerative treatment because of joint pain due to arthritis, a bone density test may be performed to determine if the correct area of the joint is being targeted for treatment. Also, a CT scan or MRI can provide a better view of soft tissues if there is a need to determine how extensive a sports-related injury is. Testing may also be done on other areas to determine if there are any abnormalities that may need to be considered.

Who is a Good Candidate for Regenerative Treatment?

Regenerative treatment is like any treatment in that there are individuals who are considered better candidates for it than others. Generally, preferred patients are otherwise healthy except for the injury or condition that’s being treated with the therapy.

There is no universally adopted criteria for who is considered a good candidate for regenerative treatment. However, based on standard guidelines for treatments of this nature, you may be a good candidate for this treatment if you meet the following requirements:

• You have no serious underlying health issues that aren’t being effectively controlled or managed
• You have no sensitivity to injections or extreme fear of needles
• You do not have a bleeding disorder or issues with an inability to clot
• You are not currently taking blood thinners for another condition
• You do not have Parkinson’s disease or cerebral palsy

How is the Treatment Carried Out?

First of all, it’s important to note that regenerative treatment is a natural treatment option that is performed in the comfort of our office. It’s also important to understand that the treatment is not one-size-fits-all. The exact details of the treatment vary based on a number of factors. For example, we may use PRP or other regenerative substances during the treatment.

Generally speaking, the products used are taken from the patient’s own body. The product is collected during a simple outpatient procedure. The collected material is then prepared using specialized techniques. What’s left is a highly concentrated mixture of beneficial regenerative products. There is also no risk of contamination since your own material is used during the treatment.

Whether or not additional treatments are recommended or needed will depend on how you respond to the initial treatment. Recommendations with follow-up treatments can also depend on what’s being treated. For instance, if you are having regenerative treatment to address a sports injury that’s temporary and limited to a very specific area, one treatment may be all you need. But if you are having regenerative treatment to address more serious issues, additional treatments may be recommended depending on the situation.

What Happens After Regenerative Treatment?

It usually takes some time for the tissues in the affected area to respond to the treatment. The body needs time to naturally heal itself and create new cells. As this process occurs, more healthy cells will be produced. These healthy cells will then help with tissue healing and growth.

If the treatment is used for cosmetic purposes, you may gradually notice increased scar reduction. As a result, you see less scarring in areas where it was previously visible. With this therapy, you may notice an increase in elasticity and the overall texture and health of your skin as the skin tissue heals and regenerates.

If regenerative treatment is being used for therapeutic purposes, you’ll likely be encouraged to participate in physical therapy sessions. This process may start with setting both short-term and long-term goals.

The nature of your goals will depend on what you hope to gain from the treatment. For instance, a competitive athlete may hope to recover faster so they can get back to their optimal performance level. On the other hand, a patient with joint-related pain may appreciate simply being able to go about their normal daily routine without unbearable discomfort as the tissue heals. You may also notice benefits after regenerative therapy that include:

• Increased mobility
• Better range of motion
• Improved flexibility
• Faster healing and recovery from injuries
• Reduced deterioration of joints and tissues in the affected area
• Less reliance on pain medications that may have serious side effects associated with long-term use

There’s also little or no downtime associated with this type of therapy. You should be able to resume almost all of your normal activities shortly after the treatment takes place.

What Results Can You Expect?

Everyone reacts slightly differently to regenerative treatment since there are many patient-specific factors that will affect the results. If you are fairly healthy and committed to participating fully in your post-injury recovery, for example, you may notice better results than if you are not as involved with the recovery process. With regenerative therapy for the management of progressive conditions like arthritis, the results will depend on the extent of the damage that already occurred to your joints and tissues prior to the start of the treatment. The results will also depend on factors such as:

• The extent of your injury
• Your overall health
• Your skin type if regenerative therapy is being used for skin rejuvenation purposes
• The condition of other cells and tissues within the affected area

Get All the Facts

As you can imagine, regenerative treatment has many potential benefits. If you’ve already given it your best shot when it comes to managing discomfort, promoting healthy tissue healing, managing back pain related to soft tissue damage, or improving skin quality, this treatment may be just what you have been looking for to finally find relief. If other treatment efforts are falling short of your expectations, this is a natural process that’s worth considering.

Reach out to aNu Aesthetics™ & Optimal Wellness to get started with an initial consultation so that you can learn everything you need to know about this amazing therapy. Whether you are dealing with damaged tissue and organs, scarring, joint pain, or another condition, regenerative therapy could work for you. But you won’t know for sure until you consult a professional. Contact us today to set up an appointment at our office in Kansas City. We look forward to hearing from you!