The best and most advanced medical healer is often your own body. Anyone who has witnessed the magical transition that takes place with a cut or scrape knows the incredible power the body has. With the current resurgence in the field of regenerative medicine, the use of orthobiologics spreads across many medical disciplines.
Spine surgeon Sanjay Khurana, MD, believes in the power of orthobiologics to assist healing in conjunction with spinal procedures. Extracellular matrices (ECMs), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and stem cells provide natural healing boosts using biocompatible tissue sourced from your body.
Orthobiologics provide three significant benefits during and after surgery. Let’s look at these benefits as well as the orthobiologics you’re likely to encounter.
Derived from tissue in your body, orthobiologics provide extra resources to boost the healing abilities of your body in targeted locations. Normally, these resources move through your body by way of your bloodstream or perform duties elsewhere in your body. The three types of orthobiologics that Dr. Khurana regularly turns to include:
Think of stem cells as starter cells, converted to specific, differentiated cells that replace injured or damaged tissue. They can be harvested from both bone marrow and fat cells, and used at the site of your spine surgery.
A blood sample about the size of a typical blood test is all that’s needed to recover the blood platelets used to prepare a PRP injection. Platelets carry growth factor hormones — the body’s messengers for directing repairs. These growth factors help in the conversion of stem cells to differentiated cells.
An extracellular matrix acts as a filler and support material for other orthobiologics, a way to fix stem cells and PRP injections as intended. Fat grafts support and trigger new tissue production.
Orthobiologics often appear in surgical recovery or injury healing. During spine surgery, the following strategic healing partners jump-start your recovery before your procedure ends:
Common to any surgery, interventions result in damage to tissue around the target area, which may be damaged itself. PRP often reduces inflammation and relieves pain, and often provides healing to parts of the spine that receive less natural supply.
Reducing inflammation often increases your range of motion without pain. You’re more comfortable and mobile through recovery as added stem cells enhance those from natural sources.
All surgeries, including those done with minimally invasive techniques, require time to recover. Dr. Khurana specializes in reduced-impact approaches, so you already start with a smaller recovery period than with comparable open surgeries. Since your body isn’t waiting for the raw materials of healing, there are fewer interruptions to your recovery progress.
Learn more about how orthobiologics can ease your spine surgery experience in consultation with Dr. Khurana. Call or book a session online today at one of our offices in Marina Del Rey or Manahattan Beach, California, to arrange a meeting and answer your questions.
