While over 60% of Americans are overweight by definition, perhaps we can make good on that fact. Our own adipose or fat tissue is known to contain a rich reservoir of natural cells with the potential to regenerate and heal.  Plastic surgeons have been harvesting fat & have been using it for years. However technology has advanced and we are seeing increased applications. This is currently being used in wound healing, breast augmentation, and other applications.

We are beginning research in looking at isolating adipose cells for fat graft injections for arthritis as an alternative to surgery. A plastic surgeon performs a liposuction & afterwards the fat is centrifuged to isolate pure fat cells which contain a rich environment for healing.  We hope to conduct research for hip and knee arthritis soon.

Dr Steven Sampson was accepted as a guest speaker at the 3rd Annual World Congress of Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cells 2010. The event is Dec5-7, 2010 & will feature speakers from all over the world. We expect more & more of these regenerative summits to gain momentum in participation & frequency. The Chinese have been very progressive in promoting the growth of regenerative medicine & this conference will feature some of the most innovative physicians and scientists.

Dr. ElAttrache has authored 32 textbooks and 60 journal publications, filmed 10 orthopedic instructional videos, and has been a facilitator for over 240 lectures.

Dr ElAttrache emphasizes that younger patients have a better success rate using their own tendon Vs cadaver graft (allograft). Afterwards I saw a rotator cuff repair which was very impressive. Dr ElAttrache pioneered a technique which has revolutionized rotator cuff repair around the world with a more durable suturing protocol.

We hope to visit other pioneering & leading physicians around the world to enhance our comprehensive care.

The Orthohealing Center

• There is a new phenemonon where kids are just playing one sport all year round rather than participating in tennis, football, baseball, & basketball over different seasons. This has created many repitive overuse injuries & is leading more childern to surgery & long term musculoskeletal injuries.
• When I asked the room, how many people have heard of PRP, almost everyone raised their hand. Stark contrast to 4 yrs ago when I had to explain it to everyone, now patients come asking for an ultrasound or PRP injection.
• Many cases of knee pain when there is a negative work up, the Hips must be evaluated further. I have seen where patients complain of lateral knee pain (from the ilio-tibial band) & we order a hip radiograph and discover severe hip arthritis.

TOBI, The Orthobiologic Institute is pleased to present a PRP training seminar in Los Angeles, CA August 13-14, 2010.  The course will feature various speakers and physicians from around the world are expected to attend. The course will bring together physicians looking to learn ultrasound guided PRP procedures and will also welcome those with extensive PRP experience to collaborate together to advance the field of orthobiologics and regenerative medicine. The course is sponsored by Sonosite and will feature hands on workshops with patient models and live injection demonstrations.

For more info visit www.prpseminar.com

Ivanhoe featured the Orthohealing Center & two of our patients in a recent story on Platelet Rich Plasma. One patient is a Karate instructor who suffered multiple tendon injuries from holding up sparring pads. Another patient, an avid runner developed knee arthritis. Both received PRP & had their subsequent  injections filmed by Ivanhoe.  It’s great for the community to see that most of the patients we treat are not world class athletes and most are just active individuals who get injuries from exercise or from occupation.

Dr Alan Lazar is a unique Orthopaedist in that he offers a multitude of options for his patients both surgically & non-operatively. Dr Lazar has been doing PRP injections both in the operating room & at his office. Dr Lazar has been creating some innovative protocols for osteoarthritis of the knee. For example initially he may do a micro fracture surgery under arthroscopy (small holes are made into cartilage under a scope to promote bone bleeding & release of stem cells & regeneration of tissue. Afterwards he adds PRP & possible BMAC (bone marrow concentrate off the hip or stem cells from fat. 

Very interesting work. We predict that more & more docs will move from PRP to stem cell based therapies which has more potential for significant pathology. A special thanks to Dr Lazar & his friendly staff for welcoming us & introducing us to his patients. Dr Lazar is authoring a book that highlights non-surgical treatments and is due out soon.

Dr Steven Sampson of the Orthohealing Center in Los Angeles CA was recently interviewed by Ivanhoe medical reporters on Platelet Rich Plasma for arthritis pain.  Ivanhoe is the country’s largest news-gathering organization covering medical breakthroughs, family health and issues important to women. Ivanhoe’s reports are broadcast in 250 markets reaching 80 million U.S. households.

Once again the increased awareness hopefully will create more interest in the community & drive further research which is needed to determine which particular patients & their diagnoses will improve best from this early generation of regenerative medicine. Soon we expect more stories to emerge on adult stem cell therapy in orthopaedics which is starting to see increased use in the US.

We find that particular procedures can be done in the office with ultrasound which cuts down on the cost for the patient rather than having to go to a surgical center. However there are particular spine procedures that are best performed under x-ray guidance (fluoroscopy) vs ultrasound. At least more spine specialists & pain managements are becoming increasingly aware of this available technology.