Regenerative Medicine (Orthobiologics)

Regenerative medicine, or orthobiologics, is a strategy that uses the body’s own healing abilities to treat injuries and conditions.

Regenerative medicine procedures enhance the effectiveness of the body’s natural healing processes to repair damaged tissue. The goal of regenerative medicine is to relieve pain and restore function lost to age, injury, disease or damage.

Choose UMMC for Regenerative Medicine

Doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) are experts in the full spectrum of regenerative medicine options.

We offer regenerative therapies for sports injuries and musculoskeletal conditions, including tendinitis, arthritis, tendon or muscle strains, and joint or ligament sprains. We work with you to customize a treatment plan best suited to your needs.

Regenerative medicine is not a substitute for treatments such as rest, bracing, taping, or physical therapy. Traditional therapies and regenerative medicine are often combined to optimize healing.

Regenerative Medicine Procedures

Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection

Although blood is mainly liquid (plasma), blood is also made of red and white blood cells and platelets. Platelets help blood clot and also contain proteins called growth factors, which help heal injuries.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a plasma solution with a high concentration of platelets. To speed healing, PRP is injected into an injured area, such as an inflamed Achilles tendon. It can take several weeks for beneficial results. At UMMC, we can also use PRP-infused sutures on torn tendons to speed healing after surgery.

Prolotherapy

Prolotherapy, also known as proliferative therapy, is an outpatient treatment that can provide patients with long-lasting pain relief compared to the temporary relief steroid injections provide.

A mixture of dextrose (sugar), saline (salt water) and lidocaine (numbing medication) is injected into a joint, muscle, tendon or ligament. This stimulates the repair of tissue damaged by arthritis, strains or sprains. Prolotherapy does not require surgery, anesthesia or an extended recovery period. 

Fat Injection

Fat, also called adipose tissue, contains healing factors and reparative cells that are useful for healing injuries. Collected from your own body, fat cells can be injected to treat several orthopedic conditions.

Fat tissue maintains its healing properties as we age, making it a treatment option for patients of all ages. As an outpatient procedure, one injection can have significant results, but some patients may need follow-up injections. While fat injection may cause minor discomfort, patients can usually return to normal activities the same day.