Traditional treatments for knee pain have often been NSAIDs or surgery. NSAIDs reduce inflammation, therefore reducing pain. Unfortunately, inflammation is our body’s natural method of healing. Millions of tiny cells rush to the injury to perform their individual role in the healing process. So, when inflammation stops, healing stops also. Surgery is often not necessary. 86% of musculoskeletal injuries can be effectively treated without surgery. Discover your options.
Healthy function of joints is controlled by “chondrocytes,” mesenchymal stem cells that regulate replacement of damaged cells. When the balance between the supply of new cells is adequate to maintain healthy function, the body is in homeostasis. However, imbalance in this function leads to degeneration of tissue, such as osteoarthritis.
Research is beginning to dispel some of the mysteries surrounding the human body, particularly how the body regenerates tissue. In the early 1990s, scientists discovered small sections of RNA called microRNA or miRNA. This discovery allowed them to see more precisely how DNA functions in our bodies and the role these tiny molecules play in the process of regeneration of tissue.
Renaissance means rebirth or regeneration. Every few generations medicine takes a major turn. We’re at one of those junctures now with regenerative medicine — where healing is triggered from within the human body. It’s bringing a whole new universe to how physicians provide care.
The majority of individuals (about 65%) experience some form of low back pain at some point in their lives, making this condition second only to upper respiratory illness as a cause for visiting a physician.1,2The low back is a complex network of spinal muscles, nerves, bones, discs and tendons in the lumbar spine that move together interdependently. Keeping this system mechanically aligned and held snuggly together allows for healthy function and pain-free movement. 3