In many ways, the discipline of platelet rich plasma and bone marrow concentrate injections used for orthopedic injuries is like the wild west. Anything goes, it seems. I hear about clinics that my patients have visited, and I question if those clinics even try to learn the newest techniques or if are just out to scam people. Let me give you an example.

One of my patients just returned from spending months in Florida. While there, he visited a clinic that appeared legitimate to him. It offered him IV infusions of “stem cells” to treat his low back pain. He did not ask where the clinic got the “stem cells”; they were not aspirated from his bone marrow. That means they are allogenic. This sounded like a good idea to him, based on the sales jargon. What my patient did not know is that there is research dating back over a decade that shows that when allogenic stem cells are injected IV, they get trapped in the lungs, an immune response is triggered and the cells are killed. That’s correct. Your body’s immune system recognizes those cells as foreign and kills them. This is called the Pulmonary First-Pass effect. (There is some emerging research on necrobiology, the study of the effects of dead stem cells but it’s not something to bank on at this time.)

So, there’s not a good reason to expect IV administered allogenic stem cells to be effective in doing anything besides inciting an inflammatory response. A much better approach to treating low back pain, a torn knee meniscus, or a rotator cuff tendon injury, is to have the autologous (your own) concentrated platelets or add: Bone marrow Concentrate which contains stem cells injected directly into the injured tissue. This avoids the Pulmonary First-Pass effect and puts your platelets and stem cells exactly where they can do the most good for natural pain care management.

Bottom line: Don’t fall for the IV stem cell infusions spiel. Go to a Regenexx provider who knowns the latest in orthopedic regenerative techniques. If you need Regenexx Pennsylvania contact Advanced PainCare and BioHealth Institute.