Department of Traumatology and Orthopedic Surgery | Sports Medicine
IMED Elche works every day to introduce the latest medical treatments in their portfolio of services. In that sense we have a new regenerative medicine unit, that will offer our patients treatments that are specific for trauma and orthopedic injuries.
What is Regenerative Medicine?
In the last years, the study of platelets and the biological mediators that those contain permitted a new type of medical treatment, based on the preparation of autologous plasma (from the patient) which is applied to certain injuries to improve tissue regeneration. This area is known as regenerative medicine and bioengineering of tissues.
These treatments are particularly important in the process of athletes who want to accelerate recovery from injury (sports medicine), but also for general patients that will improve the results of conventional treatments.
The treatments with growth factors have been used over the years by athletes to shorten their recovery drastically and to improve the conditions under which they can return to their sports activities. Now, not only athletes have access to this treatment, because in Imed Hospitales we have a unit of biomedicine and regenerative medicine where our professional team uses growth factors applied to trauma and orthopedic injuries in patients who wish to enjoy the benefits of this unique technique.
After an injury, a large number of biological intercellulaiare and intracellular processes is activated to restore the damaged tissue. When we apply a treatment with growth factors, the purpose is to increase the concentration of these factors so that the recovery takes place faster and more stable. Another process that is activated when we use growth factors is the production of fibrin, a gel or clot with important biological functions. Fibrin works in 2 ways: first, it is the matrix that keeps the cells on track and acts as scaffolding while the tissue regenerates. On the other hand it serves as a constant deliverer of growth factors.
Growth factors, also known under the acronym PRGF (Plasma Rich in Growth Factors) are a series of substances that play a fundamental series of functions in the body with regard to tissue regeneration. The application of these growth factors has clear advantages for the treatment of certain diseases in the field of orthopedics and other medical specialties.
Growth factors act at different levels that improve tissue regeneration and repair of injurys.
- To stimulate the proliferation and cell regeneratio.
- They have an angiogenic effect, this means that they improve are the creation and recovery of the blood vessels.
- They have considerable anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, very important in the recovery process.
The PRGF is becoming more and more prevalent in areas of medicine such as oral surgery, dentistry, aesthetic medicine, treatment of ulcers or ophthalmology. In the field of traumatology PRGF is particularly suitable for:
- Tendon and ligament injuries
- Bone regeneration
- Regeneration of muscles
- Joint Pathology
- Chondropathies and osteoarthritis
The use of growth factors has the following advantages:
- It accelerates the recovery process
- It can be a good complement to the treatment of complex lesions
- It is an autologous procedure, that is to say that we use the patient's own plasma.