How Can Injured Athletes Benefit from Stem Cell Therapy?

March 6, 2016

stem cell therapy treatment for injured athletes

Athletes know that to become champions at their sport, continual and vigorous practice is necessary. Some days might be more strenuous and exhausting than others, but each training day is a step to becoming better. But there are limitations to how far the body should be pushed, and if an athlete ever goes past that limitation, they put themselves at greater risk of obtaining a serious injury and long-lasting damage.

Regardless of what sport is involved, whether it is soccer, football, baseball or dance, injuries are a possibility. Athletes know this immensely well, and it is one of the main reasons that proper technique and equipment are essential to training and playing. However, if an athlete was to become seriously injured, there are a few options to consider. For instance, in several cases, stem cell therapy is one alternative. Let’s go over what stem cell therapy is and how it can benefit an athlete like you.

What is Stem Cell Therapy?

Bone Marrow Stem Cell Therapy is effective treatments for a wide variety of injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, and degenerative conditions.

The procedure for harvesting these autologous (derived from your own body) stem cells is fairly painless and is done on an outpatient basis that requires little to no downtime.

After the cells are harvested, they are concentrated in a specialized centrifuge. The concentrated regenerative cells are then injected back into the injured site to stimulate tissue repair and reduce pain. To learn more about bone marrow stem cell therapy, visit our page here.

What Kinds of Injuries Can Stem Cell Help with? 

  • Joint space narrowing – occurs when cartilage in a joint wears away and becomes painful, stiff or limited to its range of motion
  • Torn meniscus
  • Ligament injury
  • Tendon injury
  • Muscle injury
  • Joint injury

In some cases, these injuries are easily preventable, but a majority of the time, they are caused by overuse or repetitive stress. Overuse is a term use to describe the repetitive motions placed on joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles. For example, an overuse injury might develop in a pitcher’s shoulder because he/she has been throwing too much – dependent on the period of time and how hard they regularly throw. This stress can cause painful damage. Improper form or technique can also produce similar injuries; and stretched, torn or strained ligaments can cause years of pain and discomfort.

These injuries may develop as a result of an accident, or improper training or use of equipment. Especially when it comes to sports with a lot of physical contact, it’s important to know and perform the right techniques and how to manage any equipment properly. Any part of the body can be easily damaged with one small wrong move.

On the other hand, it’s important to know that stem cell therapy is not suited for milder injuries, like when tendons become overworked, swollen or inflamed. There are other alternatives for these conditions that are better-suited solutions.

Stem cell therapy is typically better matched for cases involving joint space narrowing or for those people that are trying to avoid or prevent surgery. We perform a complete diagnosis of each patient’s condition and lifestyle to determine what treatment is best for them. At the end of the day, we want people to know that stem cell therapy is not a one-stop shop to heal any injury.

In addition to recommending specific types of treatment, tweaking how the athlete performs or reducing the level of training for a while will allow an injury to heal better. The injured site needs time to readjust to gain its full strength and function. Putting further stress on sports injuries that have not healed completely can set the stage for lifelong problems.

We would love to chat with you about your unique situation and what we can do to help. Contact Orthohealing Center at (310) 312-8095.

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