Combining Traditional Orthopedics &
Cutting-Edge Regenerative Medicine

Regenerative cellular therapies act as natural healers. Recent advancements in cellular therapy have allowed the use of stem cells for orthopedic treatment.

Adult stem cells are found in all of us and play a key role in the body’s healing process. They lie latent in your body until they receive signals that the body has suffered an injury and then they follow your platelets to the injured site. Autologous or adult stem cells are able to transform into the same type of cell that was injured to promote healing. They are tasked to heal injured ligaments, tendons, tissues, and bones.

After an injury, or as a natural result of aging, the number of stem cells needed in certain areas of the body declines. Regenerative Cellular Therapy solves this problem by delivering a high concentration of autologous stem cells into the injured area promoting natural healing.

Adult stem cells continuously replicate and regenerate new tissues. Stem cell therapy takes advantage of this unique quality to promote faster healing of sports injuries and arthritis. Charleston Sports Medicine’s Bright McConnell, MD has extensive experience extracting your own (autologous) stem cells and injecting them into damaged tissues, where they help repair your injury. To learn whether you’re a good candidate for stem cell therapy, call the office in Daniel Island, SC, or book an appointment online with Dr. Bright McConnell.

Charleston Sports Medicine specializes in Orthobiologics treatment known as “platelet-rich plasma” or PRP. PRP therapy for inflamed tendons has been used to treat such injuries as tennis elbow, Achilles tendonitis, patellar tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis.

PRP is blood plasma with concentrated platelets. The concentrated platelets found in PRP contain large reservoirs of bioactive proteins, including growth factors that are vital to initiate and accelerate tissue repair and regeneration. These bioactive proteins initiate connective tissue healing: bone, tendon, and ligament regeneration and repair, promote the development of new blood vessels and stimulate the wound healing process.

To prepare PRP, a small amount of blood is taken from the patient. The blood is placed in a centrifuge, which spins and automatically produces the PRP. The entire process takes less than 15 minutes and increases the concentration of platelets and growth factors up to 500%. When PRP is injected under ultrasound guidance into the damaged area, it stimulates the tendon or ligament, triggering a healing cascade. As a result, new collagen begins to develop. As this collagen matures, it begins to shrink causing the tightening and strengthening of the tendons or ligaments of the damaged area. Results are often seen after one injection, however, sometimes it requires several therapies, scheduled six weeks apart.

Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (ADMSC) is beneficial for patients looking for a less invasive option to total joint replacement surgeries. In this procedure, adult mesenchymal stem cells are taken from the patient’s own adipose stores following the tendon or joint delivery protocol. An MRI scan may be used before beginning treatment in order to determine the primary pain generator. If the pain is generated from the joint, ADMSC is a good solution. In dealing with knee osteoarthritis, if there are still progressive symptoms after the traditional treatment course of intraarticular medications and biomechanical optimization with the use of an appropriate knee brace, further options should be considered.

An innovative technique, Cellmyx Intellifat BOD, was developed to obtain micro fragmented adipose tissue and Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) with a high regenerative capacity. This technology was clinically available since 2013. Dr. McConnell is among the first in the area to bring this new regenerative medicine to orthopedic patients.

Studies show patients are receiving significant improvement in their pain and function over several years utilizing less invasive treatment options, like Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMA). BMA is considered a more advanced form of regenerative therapy, in which blood is withdrawn from the patient’s bone marrow and concentrated on a special device. Stem cells are then collected by aspirating bone marrow from the posterior iliac crest. This procedure is beneficial to patients with significant tissue damage. BMA may be used either separately or in conjunction with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSC).