When scoliosis is mild, no treatment may be necessary. However, the condition sometimes progresses, and the sideways curvature characteristic of scoliosis becomes severe enough to cause complications like chronic pain, breathing issues, and distortions of anatomy that may make patients self-conscious about how they look.
Severe scoliosis could require surgery when it starts to interfere with daily living. While surgical techniques continue to evolve, recovery can still be a long process, depending on the work required for your condition. That’s why orthopedic surgeon Sanjay Khurana MD promotes orthobiologics to promote healing after your scoliosis procedure.
With orthopedic treatments, natural substances called biologics can help your body heal faster. Typically, orthobiologics help to relieve pain and inflammation while improving your body’s healing process, whether as a result of injury or as part of the planned recovery process after surgery. Dr. Khurana typically uses three types of orthobiologic therapy in his practice.
While known for the ability to form blood clots after an injury, platelets also deliver growth factor hormones to the sites of healing throughout your body. These chemical messengers help guide the healing process, including converting another orthobiologic component called stem cells.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) starts with a sample of your blood. Similar to the amount drawn during a routine blood test, this sample separates into layers based on weight. Platelets settle between red blood cells and plasma, making the hormone-rich middle layer easy to extract.
After mixing with a small amount of plasma, the serum is ready for injection. When you have scoliosis surgery, Dr. Khurana uses PRP to supercharge the surgical area with these powerful healing accelerators.
You have stem cells throughout your body. You can think of these as “spare parts,” material resources that help with healing. There are about 200 different types of cells in your body, so streamlining is needed. Think of stem cells as another raw material to heal. These can convert into specific functional cells of various types as necessary.
After scoliosis surgery, your body might need bone cells to heal vertebrae and stem cells convert to bone, guided in part by growth hormones. Perhaps you need new tendon tissue. Instead of bone, stem cells then convert to tendon cells. Stem cells can be autologous -- derived from your own body -- or allogeneic, obtained from a donor source.
Many protein tissues in your body form a matrix structure to support organs and other tissue. Strategic injection of regenerative materials like PRP and stem cells can stimulate the formation of new matrix tissue, helping to heal and restore tissue damaged through scoliosis surgery.
Orthobiologics don’t straighten a scoliosis-curved spine but have a supporting role when Dr. Khurana performs surgical procedures to eliminate those curves.
Find out more about how orthobiologics can help speed recovery after your upcoming scoliosis procedure. Contact Dr. Khurana’s nearest office in Marina Del Rey or Manhattan Beach, California, by phone or online to schedule your consultation today.
