BRADENTON, Fla. — Coastal Orthopedics recently launched services for regenerative medicine, new groundbreaking treatments designed to enhance the body’s ability to heal itself.
Regenerative medicine is at the forefront of healing technology, and the board certified orthopedic surgeons and spine specialists at Coastal Orthopedics are using these technologies to help patients relieve joint pain without surgery.
These treatments use natural substances, utilizing patients’ own cells and proteins to repair damaged tissues safely, quickly and effectively allowing joints, tendons and ligaments to heal and repair themselves.
“We’re happy to offer these services as an option for appropriate patients, and our goal is to use the data that exists to give patients realistic expectations for these treatments,” said Dr. Arthur Valadie, a sports medicine specialist for Coastal Orthopedics who is one of the physicians performing these procedures. “This is one of the many tools that we have at Coastal Orthopedics to help our patients and improve their quality of life.”
The use of regenerative medicine or biologic technologies is expanding rapidly in a number of medical fields, including orthopedics. There are three different forms of regenerative medicine, including Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), cell-based therapy and the use of amniotic products.
Coastal Orthopedics began doing the simplest form of PRP several years ago. During PRP, physicians harvest a patient’s own platelets with a simple blood draw. They then concentrate the platelets and growth factors and inject them into the injury site to enhance the healing process.
In late 2017, Coastal Orthopedics expanded into cell-based therapy treatment. Stem cells are unique in that they can grow into many different types of cells in the body. During cell-based therapy treatment, physicians take live stem cells either from fatty tissue or bone marrow and put those cells into the area of the body that’s damaged or worn out in an attempt to enhance its ability to heal itself.
“Our practice has put together an ethical, evidence-based regenerative medicine strategy because of advances in science and evidence that the treatments work,” said Dr. Valadie. “We feel that the technology and clinical data have evolved to a point where it is time for us to offer this to our patients.”
At Coastal Orthopedics, regenerative medicine is used to treat a variety of conditions, including arthritis, joint and tendon injuries, sciatica and back pain, among others.
All of these treatments are performed as outpatient procedures, and the initial recovery process is shorter and less painful than traditional surgeries. While regenerative medicine is less invasive than surgery, it is not always a substitute for surgery. There are a variety of treatment options available for any condition based on severity, and every patient is different.
“It’s really more about individualizing the treatments to the patient’s unique circumstances,” said Dr. Valadie. “Coastal Orthopedics is adding a whole new category of treatments to what we do. It’s a new way to treat certain diseases, and it’s great to be on the leading edge.”
About Coastal Orthopedics
Founded in 1973 and based in Bradenton, Fla., Coastal Orthopedics is home to 18 orthopedic surgeons and pain management physicians who maintain hospital affiliations with Blake Medical Center, Manatee Memorial Hospital and Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. In addition to three offices and two ambulatory surgery centers each serving Florida’s West Coast, Coastal Orthopedics’ board-certified and fellowship-trained physicians and surgeons provide patients with the very latest in pain and orthopedic treatment technology. The company strives to repair and heal injuries relating to the entire musculoskeletal system. For more than 40 years, our highly skilled staff of physicians and surgeons has treated patients in specialty care including sports medicine, joint replacement, pain management and rehabilitation. Patients can experience restoration of function both surgically and non-surgically through the use of physician-guided strengthening, therapy, medications, injections and stretching. For more information, please visit CoastalOrthopedics.com or call 941-792-1404.